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IIE KOS TL
THE IBIS,
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY,
EDITED BY
PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, D\Se., F.BS.,
AND
A. H. EVANS, M.A., F.Z.S.
VOL. Tif,” £903.
EIGHTH SERIES.
Quam magnificata sunt opera tua, Domine.
LONDON:
GURNEY AND JACKSON, 1 PATERNOSTER ROW.
(Successors to J. VAN VOORST,)
1903. 137 9 63
} FLAMMAM,
PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS,
RED LION COURT, FLELT STREFT.
PREFACE.
Tur Editors have succeeded in compressing the third
volume of the Eighth Series of ‘The Ibis’ into a
somewhat smaller compass than that of some of the
previous years. Six hundred and fifty pages of
letterpress with twelve or thirteen plates are quite
as much as can be conveniently handled when bound,
and in future volumes it is hoped that it will not be
found necessary to exceed these limits.
Our readers, we think, will allow that there is at
the present time an abundant supply of contributions
from nearly every part of the world on geographical
ornithology ; but there seems to be some danger of
this enticing branch of our Science becoming a little
too prominent in the pages of ‘The Ibis,’ and we
venture to hope that greater attention may in future
be given to the claims of the Anatomy, Pterylography,
a2
1V
and Classification of Birds. In all these three subjects
much still remains to be done, and as regards their
progress we can never cease to deplore the loss of such
skilful and ingenious workers as Garrod, Forbes, and
other tried friends.
3 Hanover Square,
London, W.,
September 25th, 1903.
) fe)
15
BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION.
1903.
{An asterisk indicates an Original Member. It is particularly requested
that Members will give notice to the Secretary of the Union, 3 Hanover Square,
London, W., of any error in their addresses or descriptions in this List, in order
that it may be corrected. ]
Date of
Election.
1896, AtexanpER, Boyp, F.Z.S. (1st Bn. Rifle Brigade) ; Wilsley,
Cranbrook, Kent.
1901. Axncutin, James H.; Museum and Public Library, Maidstone.
1888. Apiin, OLtveR Vernon; Bloxham, Banbury, Oxon.
1896. ArcHipatp, Cartes F.; 9 Cardigan Road, Headingley,
Leeds.
1896. Arricont pecLI Oppr, Count Errorn, Professor of Zoology,
University, Padua; and Ca’ oddo, Monselice, Padua, Italy.
1901. ArnunpEt, Major Watrer B., F.Z.S.; High Ackworth, Ponte-
fract.
1901. Asupy, Hersert; Pinehurst, Basset, near Southampton.
1897. Astiny, The Rev. Huserr Detavat, F.Z.S.; Benham Park,
Newbury, Berks.
1885. Backxuouss, James, F.Z.S.; Daleside, Harrogate.
1901. Baizrwarp, Lt.-Col. A. C. (R.F.A.); 1 Princes Mansions,
Victoria Street, S.W.
1892. Baker, KE. C. Sruarr, F.Z.S.; care of Messrs. H. 8S. King
& Co., 65 Cornhill, E.C.
1901. Baxsr, Joun C., M.B., B.A.; Ceely House, Aylesbury, Bucks.
1899. Batrovr, Frepurick Ropert Srerxen ; Dawyck, Stobo, N,B.;
and Bachelors’ Club, Piccadilly, W.
1889. Batston, Ricwarp James, F'.Z.S.; Springfield, Maidstone.
1890. Barctay, Francis Huser, F.Z.8.; The Warren, Cromer,
Norfolk.
1872. Barctay, Colonel Hansury, F.Z.8S.; 34 Queen’s Gate
Gardens, S.W.
1885. Barcray, Col. Hueu G., F.Z.S.; Colney Hall, Norwich.
1889. Barrert-Hamitton, Capt. Geratp E. H., F.Z.S., 5th Royal
Trish Rifles; Kilmanock House, Arthurstown, Waterford,
Treland.
20
25
30
30
40
Date of
Election.
1881.
1903.
1902.
1897.
1897.
1880.
1884,
1892.
1891.
1898.
1873.
1903.
1893.
1897.
1894.
1898.
1895.
1902.
1902.
1885.
1890.
1899.
1900.
1895.
vl
Barrineton, Richard Manuirre, LL.D. ; Fassaroe, Bray,
Co. Wicklow.
Barrets, Max.; Pasir Datar, Halte Tjisaat (Preanger), Java,
Dutch India.
Brcuer, Harry, C.E.; 4 Walpole Street, Chelsea, 8. W.
Benson, Jonn; The Post Office, Vancouver, B.C.
Berry, Wii1AM, B.A., LL.B.; Tayfield, Newport, Fifeshire.
Browett, Epwarp; 1 Trig Lane, Upper Thames Street, E.C.
Bineuam, Lt.-Col. Cuartes T., F.Z.8.; 6 Gwendwr Road,
West Kensington, W.
Brrp, The Rey. Maurice C. H., M.A.; Brunstead Rectory,
Stalham, §.0., Norfolk.
Braavw, F. E., C.M.Z.8. ; Gooilust, ’sGraveland, Hilversum,
Noord-Holland.
Brann, Ivers; Newbold Firs, Leamington.
Branrorp, Wittiam T., LL.D., F.R.S., F.Z.S. ; 72 Bedford
Gardens, Kensington, W.
Bruarawayt, The Rev. Francis Lintry; 5 Monks Leys
Terrace, Lincoln.
Botam, Grorcr, F.Z.S. ; Berwick-on-T weed.
Bonar, The Rev. Horatius Nryian; Free Church Manse,
Salton, Pencaitland, East Lothian, N.B.
Boynorr, Joun Lewis, F.Z.8.; Ditton Hall, Fen Ditton,
Cambridgeshire.
Boorn, Groree Atsert; Phoonix Iron Works, Derby Street,
Preston ; and Fern Hill, Grange-over-Sands, Lanes.
BraprorD, Dr. J. Rosn, F.R.S.; 8 Manchester Square, W.
Briverman, Lieut. The Hon. Ricuarp O. B., R.N.; Weston
Park, Shifnal, Salop.
Bristowg, Bertram Arruur; The Cottage, Stoke D’Abernon,
Surrey.
Brocxnores, Witw1am Firzurrsert ; Claughton-on-Brock,
Garstang, Lancashire.
Brooke, Harry Brtnstey; 33 Egerton Gardens, Kensington, W.
Brooks, Joun Arruor, J.P.; Fenay Hall, Huddersfield ; and
Fearn Lodge, Ardgay, Ross-shire.
Bruce, Witr14M Spiers ; Scottish Antarctic Expedition Office,
National Bank Buildings, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh.
BurearrA, H.R.H. Frrptnanp, Prince of ; c/o Dr. P. Lever-
ktthn, The Palace, Sophia, Bulgaria.
Date of
Election.
1872.
1903.
45 1899.
1884.
1896.
1900.
1884.
5° 1895.
1896.
1903.
18389,
1896.
55 1388.
1892.
1888.
1899;
60 1894.
1900.
1897.
65 1889.
1880.
Vil
Buwer, Sir Waiter Lawry, K.C.M.G.,Sc.D.. F.R.S.,C.M.Z.5. ;
81 Eaton Terrace, 8.W.
Burrett, Goprrey Percy; Brooklands, Alton, Hants.
Butter, Arraur Lennox, F.Z.8.; Game Preservation
Department, Khartoum, Sudan.
Burter, Lieut.-Col. E. A.; Plumton House, Bury St. Edmunds,
Suffolk.
Burrerrietp, W. C. J. Ruskin; 4 Stanhope Place,
St. Leonards-on-Sea.
Borrress, Bernarp A. E.; The Cross House, Fawkham, Kent.
Buxton, Guorrrey Fowett, F.Z.S.; Dunston Hall, Norwich.
Buxton, 8. Gurney, F.Z.8.; Catton Hall, Norwich.
Cann, Francis J.; Teighmore, Cheltenham.
CamBriper, Frepericx O. Pickarp; 35 Haydon Park Road,
Wimbledon.
Cameron, Ewen Somertep, F.Z.S.; V. Ranch, Terry,
Montana, U.S.A.
Cameron, Lieut. James S.; Ist Bn. Royal Sussex Regt., South
Africa; and Low Wood, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent.
Cameron, Joun Duncan; Low Wood, Bethersden, Ashford,
Kent.
CAMPBELL, CHartes Witiram, C.M.Z.S., H.B.M. Chinese
Consular Service; British Legation, Peking, China.
Carrer, JAMes; Burton House, Masham, R.S.O., Yorkshire.
Cartwrigut, Tomas Lusiiz Metyitte; Newbottle Manor,
Banbury.
. Cave, CoarLesJoun Parup, F.Z.8.; Ditcham Park, Petersfield.
Cuance, A. Macoms, B.A.; Lawnside, Edgbaston, Bir-
mingham.
. Caarman, Asnt, F.Z.S.; Houxty, Wark-on-Tyne.
2. Cuasz, Rongrr Witt1am; Pool Hall, Wishaw, near Bir-
mingham.
Cuarterton, Freperick J. §.; 78 Clissold Road, Stoke
Newington, N.
Cuotmiey, Atrrep Joun, F.Z.S.; Place Newton, Rillington,
Yorkshire.
Crarke, SrepHenNson Rosert, F.Z.S.; Borde Hill, Cuckfield,
Sussex.
Crarke, WitttaAM Eacie, F.L.S.; Museum of Science and Art,
Edinburgh.
7°
15
80
85
vill
Date of
Election.
1898.
1895.
1888.
Cocks, Atrrep HenrAce, F.Z.8.; Poynetts, Skirmett, near
Henley-on-Thames.
Cotzs, Ricuarp Epwarp; Ashley, Arnewood, Lymington.
CorpEavx, Wiitiam Witrrip, Captain 21st Lancers, Marl-
borough Barracks, Dublin.
1882. Cory, Prof. Cuartezs B., F.Z.8.; 160 Boylston Street, Boston,
Mass.,. U.S3A;
1899. Cowrr, The Rev. Arcuripatp G.G.; 40 Milton Street, West
Hartlepool.
1896. Cowiz, Major ALtexanprR Hveu, R.E., F.Z.S.; Aldershot ;
and care of H. Ward, Esq., Yeatton, Lymington, Hants.
1902. Cowir, Ropert Macnamara, M.R.C.S.; 2nd Life Guards,
Hyde Park, W.
1896. Crawrorp, Francis C.; 19 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh.
1894, Crews, Sir Vauncey Harpur, Bt.; Calke Abbey, Derby.
1895, Crosstey, Sir Savitz B., Bt., M.V.O., F.Z.8.; Somerleyton,
Lowestoft; and 12 Carlton-House Terrace, S.W.
1898. Crossman, Anan F.; c/o Messrs. Kidson & Gawler, Fremantle,
Western Australia. m
1903. Crowzey, Jonn Crrit, B.A.; 16 Chatsworth Road, Croydon.
1898, Crowrey, Recinatp Atwyn; Highfield, Alton, Hants; and
22 High Street, Croydon.
1899. Curtis, Freprricx, F.R.C.S.; 43 London Road, Redhill,
Surrey.
1877. Datertetsu, Joun J.; Brankston Grange, Bogside Station,
Stirling, N.B.
1898. Datrymptz, Hon. Joun James; Ist Bn. Scots Guards.
1896. Dawnrorp, Bertram W. Y., R.E.; Bermuda.
1897. Daryitry, Ivo Francis Watton, Earl; Cobham Hall,
Gravesend ; and Clifton Lodge, Athboy, Co. Meath.
1883. Davinson, James, F.Z.S.; Karwar, Kanara, Bombay; and
32 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh.
1899. Davies, Lt. Surron A., 2nd East Lancs. Regt., Jullundur,
Punjab, India.
1902. Denr, Cuartes Henry; c/o Bolitho & Co. Ltd., Penzance,
Cornwall.
1891. De Vis, Cuartes W.: Queensland Museum, Brisbane; and
care of Mr. B. Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly, W.
1893. Dz Winton, W. E., F.Z.S.: Graftonbury, Hereford; and
Zoological Society’s Gardens, Regent’s Park, N.W.
go
95
100
105
| ae)
Date of
Election.
1896.
1889.
1895.
1865.
1896.
1890.
1878.
1896.
1903.
1870.
1895.
1884.
1902.
1866.
1895.
ix
Dossis, James B., F.Z.8.; 9 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh.
Dosiz, Witttam Henry, M.R.C.S.; 2 Hunter Street,
Chester.
Donovan, Capt. Cuartes, I.M.S.; c/o Messrs. P. Macfadyen
& Co., Winchester House, Old Broad Street, E.C.
Dresser, Henry Ertes, F.L.S., F.Z.S.; 28 Queensborough
Terrace, Hyde Park, W.
Drewirt, Freperic George Dawrrey, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P.,
F.Z.S.; 14 Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, W.
Droumumonnp-Hay, Major Jamus A. G.; Ist Bn. Coldstream
Guards ; and Seggieden, Perth, N.B.
Durnyrorp, W. Arrnur, J.P.; Elsecar, Barnsley.
Douruiz, Lt.-Col. W. H. M,; The Presbytery, North
Berwick.
Farts, Epwarp Vavasour; Franks, Farningham, Kent.
Extiot, Dantet Giraup, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.; Field Columbian
Museum, Chicago, U.S.A.
Exiiot, Epwunp A. 8., M.R.C.S.; Woodville, Kingsbridge,
South Devon.
Extiorr, Atcrrnon, C.J.E.; 41 Holland Park, W.
Exxison, Attan, M.A.; Ardoyne House, Watton, Hertford.
Etwes, Henry Joun, F.R.S., F.Z.S.; Colesborne, Cheltenham.
Ertancer, Freiherr Carto von; Nieder Ingelheim, Rhein
Hessen, Germany.
. Evans, Antaur Houmas, M.A., F.Z.8.; 9 Harvey Road, Cam-
bridge. (Editor.)
. Evans, Wittiam, F.R.S.E.; 38 Morningside Park, Edin-
burgh.
. Farrsrivgn, Witiiam Groree; 133 Long Market Street,
Capetown, South Africa.
. Fatconer, Joun J. M.; 31 Lauder Road, Edinburgh.
. Farqunar, Capt. Arruur M., R.N., C.V.0.; Granville Lodge,
Aboyne, N.B.; and H.M.S. ‘ Renown,’ Mediterranean
Squadron.
. Farqunar, Commr. Sruarr Sr. J., R.N.; H.M.S. ¢ Vestal,’
China Station ; and Drumnagesk, Aboyne, N.B.
. Fripen, Col, Henry Wemyss, C.B., C.M.Z.S.; Burwash,
Sussex ; and Junior United Service Club, S.W.
Fenwick, Epwarp Nicnoras Fenwick ; Oxford and Cambridge
Club, Pall Mall, 8.W.
Date of
Election
1886.
1901.
115 1892.
1890.
1902.
1884.
1898.
120 1903.
1880.
1887.
1865.
1881.
125 1895.
1881.
1886.
1900.
1900.
130 1892.
1902.
1879.
1902.
1902.
135 1903.
x
Ferrevuson, Lieut. Harorp Sruarr, F.Z.S.; Nair Brigade,
Trevandrum, Travancore, India.
Fryurnson, Horace W.; Gore Court, Sittingbourne, Kent.
Finn, Franx, B.A., F.Z.S.; 29 Chalcot Crescent, Primrose
Pall ON. W.
Fisuer, Lionet; Kandy, Ceylon.
Frower, Capt. Srantuey Smyrna, F.Z.S.; Kedah House,
Zoological Gardens, Gizeh, Cairo.
Forses, Henry Oce, LL.D., F.Z.8.; Free Public Museums,
Liverpool.
Fosrer, Grorce E.; Brooklands, Cambridge.
Fosrur, Nevin Harkness; Hillsborough, Co. Down, Ireland.
Foster, Witttam; c/o L. T. Glasson, Esq.,5 Stone Buildings,
Lincoln’s Inn, W.C.
Fowrer, WittrAm Warpe, M.A.; Lincoln College, Oxford.
Fox, The Rev. Henry Extrorr, M.A. ; The Croft, Lytton
Grove, Putney Hill, 8.W.
Free, Percy Evans; Southpoint, Limes Road, Folkestone.
Frowawk, Frepertck Witt1am; Rose Cottage, Hockley,
Kssex.
Gapow, Hans, Ph.D., F.R.S., F.Z.S.; University Museum of
Zoology, Cambridge.
GatnsporoucH, Caartes WittiAM Francis, Earl of; Exton
Park, Oakham.
Garnett, Caartes; 9 Cleveland Gardens, Hyde Park, W.;
and New University Club, St. James’s Street, S.W.
Gayner, Francis; Beech Holm, Sunderland; King’s College,
Cambridge ; and 20 Queen Square, W.C.
GeRRARD, Joun, Government Inspector of Mines; Worsley,
near Manchester.
Gispins, Witt1am Bevineton; Ettington, Stratford-on-
Avon.
Gisson, Ernest, F.Z.S.; 1 Eglinton Crescent, Edinburgh ;
and Estancia de los Ingleses, Ajé, Buenos Aires.
Gittert, Frepericx, F.Z.8.; 28 Beaufort Gardens, 8.W.;
and Junior Carlton Club, Pall Mall, S.W.
Gittman, Artuur Ritey; 5 Fellows Road, Hampstead, N.W. ;
and 3 Southampton Street, High Holborn, W.C.
Guapsrone, Huen Srevarr, B.A.; Capenoch, Thornhill,
Dumfriesshire.
140
145
150
155
Date of
Election.
1858.
1858.
1901,
1900.
1899.
1895.
1885.
1876.
1898.
1870.
1896.
1890.
1901.
1891.
1898.
1887.
1898.
1900.
1900.
1893.
1868.
1896.
511
Gopman, Freprerick DuCang, D.C.L., F.R.S., F.Z.S.; 10 Chan-
dos Street, Cavendish Square, W. President.
Gopman, Percy Sanpen, B.A., C.M.Z.S.; Muntham,
Horsham.
Goopcu1tp, Herserr; 34 Fitzroy Road, Regent’s Park, N.W.
Gooprettow, Wartrer; Wyndale, Richmond Park, Bourne-
mouth.
Goutp, Frank Herserr Carruruers, F.Z.8.; Matham Manor
House, East Molesey, Surrey.
GraBpHamM, Oxtry, M.A.; Thornton Dale, Pickering,
Yorks: -
GuritemarD, F. H. H., M.A., M.D., F.Z.S.; Old Mill House,
Trumpington, Cambridge.
Ginruer, Atpert C. L. G., M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.Z8.;
2 Lichfield Road, Kew Gardens, 8.W.
Gurney, Commr. Anrnony Francis, R.N.; North Runcton
Hall, King’s Lynn; and H.M.S. ‘ Pembroke,’ Chatham.
Gurney, Joun Henry, F.Z.S.; Keswick Hall, Norwich; and
Atheneum Club, Pall Mall, 8. W.
Gurney, Ropert; Sprowston Hall, Norwich.
Gwarkin, JosHua Reynotps Gascoran ; The Manor House,
Potterne, Devizes.
Haacner, Atwin C.; Dynamite Factory, Modderfontein,
Transvaal, South Africa.
Hareu, Grorcr Henry Caron; Grainsby Hall, Great Grimsby,
Lincolnshire.
Haines, Coartes Reernanp, M.A.; Meadhurst, Uppingham,
Rutland.
Haines, Joan Preypett Witron; 17 King Street, Gloucester.
Hart, The Rev. James RasuteraH, M.A.; The Vicarage,
Horton Kirby, Dartford, Kent.
Harper, Epmunp Witiram, F.Z.8.; c/o Messrs. Thos. Cook
& Son, Bombay, India.
Harris, Henry Epwarp; 301 St. James’s Court, Buckingham
Gate, S.W.
Harrert, Ernst; The Museum, Tring, Herts.
Hartine, James Epmunp, F.LS., F.Z.8.; Edgewood, Wey-
bridge, Surrey.
Harrianp, Jonn Cote; c/o Messrs. Hunt & Co., P.O. Box 11,
Yokohama, Japan.
160
165
170
1750
Date of
Election.
1893.
1899.
1873.
1900.
1902.
1898.
1887.
1902.
1902.
1899.
1900.
xu
Hartmann, Witt1am; Tangley Mere, Chilworth, Surrey.
Harvey, Capt. Roserr Napier, R.E.; Stanhope Lines,
Aldershot.
Harvis-Browy, Joun A., F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.; Dunipace House,
Larbert, N.B.
Hastuck, Percy Peptry Harrorp; The Wilderness, South-
gate, N.
Hatrertp, Joun Ranpatt; Edlington Hall, Horncastle,
Lincolnshire.
Hawrer, Ricwarp M., F.Z.S.; Bath Club, Dover Street, W. ;
and c/o Messrs. Dalgety & Co., 96 Bishopsgate Street
Within, E.C.
Hespert, Cuarwes T., F.Z.S.; The Rhodrons, Hook, Kingston-
on-Thames.
Hersert, Bron; Picket Post, Ringwood, Hants.
Hert, Grorrrey Seccomse; 18 Chepstow Place, Bays-
water, W.
Herwoop, Ricaarp; St. Margaret’s Place, King’s Lynn,
Norfolk.
Hits, Joan Wartur; 14 Victoria Grove, Kensington, W.;
and Corby Castle, Carlisle.
. Hotpswortn, CuHartes James; Sunnyside, Wilmslow,
Cheshire.
77. HotpswortH, Epmunp W. H., F.Z.S.; South Town, Dart-
mouth, Devon.
. Horsrretp, Hersert Knicut; Ivy Lodge, Chapel Allerton,
Leeds.
. Host, Cuartes, D.Se., F.Z.S.; Baram, Sarawak, Borneo.
. Howarp, Henry Error; Clarelands, near Stourport.
. Howarp, Rosert James; Shearbank, Blackburn, Lancashire.
. Hupiesron, Witrrm Hopreston, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S.;
8 Stanhope Gardens, 8.W.
. Hupson, Wittiam Henry, F.Z.S.; Tower House, St. Luke’s
Road, Westbourne Park, W.
. Hume, Atztan Octavian, C.B., C.S.1., F.Z.S.; The Chalet,
Kingswood Road, Upper Norwood, 8.E.
. Hunter, Henry Cuartrs Vicars; Mawley Hall, Cleobury
Mortimer, Salop.
. Incram, Continewoop; The Bungalow, Westgate-on-Sea ;
and c/o Lady Ingram, 65 Cromwell Road, S.W.
180
185
[go
195
Date of
Election
1902.
1870.
1888.
1902.
1892.
1896.
1889.
1891.
1900.
1899.
1902.
1880.
1894.
1897.
1891.
1895.
1902.
1882.
1900.
1892.
1884.
1881.
Xili
Innes Bey, Dr. Watrer Franois; Curator of the Zoological
Museum, School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt.
Irpy, Lieut.-Col. Lronarp Howarp, F.Z.8.; 14 Cornwall
Terrace, Regent’s Park, N.W.
Jackson, Freprrick J., C.B., C.M.G., F.L.S.; The Red
House, Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
Jacos, Dr. Frank Harwoop; 4 Oxford Street, Nottingham.
JamMEs, Henry AsHwortH ; Hurstmonceux Place, Hailsham,
Sussex.
Jesse, Wint1amM; La Martiniére College, Lucknow, Oudh,
India,
JOHNSON, FREDERICK Ponsonsy, B.A., J.P., D.L.; Castlesteads,
Brampton, Cumberland.
Jounston, Sir Harry Hamitton, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., F.Z.S.;
27 Chester Terrace, Regent’s Park, N.W.
Jones, Major Henry (late 62nd Regt.); East Wickham
House, Welling, Kent.
JoURDAIN, The Rev. Francis Caarces Ropert, M.A.; Clifton
Vicarage, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
Joy, Norman Humsert, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.; Bradfield, near
Reading.
Keruam, Col. Henry Rosert, C.B., Ist Bn. Highland Light
Infantry ; and 52 Tisbury Road, Hove, Brighton.
Ketsatt, Capt. Harry Josnpy, R.G.A., Wicklow Artillery,
Southern Division, Wicklow, Ireland.
Ketsatt, The Rev. Joun Epwarp, M.A.; Milton Rectory,
Lymington, Hants.
Kerr, J. Granam, F.Z.S., Professor of Natural History, The
University, Glasgow.
Kinesrorp, Wittiam Epwarp ; Cairo, Egypt.
Krynzar, Norman Born; Rose Cottage, Bunarkaig, Spean
Bridge, Invernesshire.
Kwnustey, The Rev. Epw. Ponsonsy, M.A.; Steeple Ashton
Vicarage, Trowbridge.
Kornie, Dr. ALEXANDER Ferpinanp ; Coblenzer-Strasse 164,
Bonn, Germany.
Larmxaw, Tuomas Gepprs ; Bank of Scotland Branch, Perth.
Laneton, Hersert; 11 Marlborough Place, Brighton.
Lascettes, The Hon. Gerratp ; The King’s House,
Lyndhurst.
205
210
ows
Date of
Election.
1892.
1892.
1898.
1876.
1898.
1868.
1875.
1903.
XivV
La Toucue, Jomn Davin Drauss, C.M.Z.S.; Imperial Maritime
Customs, Chin Kiang, China.
Laws, ArtTHUR Moore ; Ayrshire Mine, Lamagundi, Mashona-
land, South Africa.
Learoyp, A. Ernust; Rawthorpe Hall, Huddersfield.
Lreer, Col. Wint1aM Vincent (late R.A.), F.Z.8.; Cullenswood
House, St. Mary’s, Tasmania.
Le Soviir, Duptry, C.M.Z.S.; Director of the Zoological
Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Le Srranexz, Hanon, F.Z.S.; Hunstanton Hall, King’s Lynn,
Norfolk.
L’Estrancr, Col. Pacer Watter, R.A. ; 10 The Lees,
Malvern.
Lerusriper, AmBrose YarsurcH ; Rokeby, Barnard Castle,
Yorks.
. Lewis, Freperick ; Assistant Conservator of Forests, The
Kachchin, Colombo, Ceylon.
. Leyranp, Curistopner Joun; Haggerston Castle, Beal,
Northumberland.
. Litrorp, Jouy, Lord, F.Z.8.; Lilford Hall, Oundle,
Northants.
. Luoyp, Col. Joun Hayes, F.Z.8S.; 95 Adelaide Road,
NAW:
. Loat, Wittram Leonarp §., F.Z.8.; Cumnor Place, near
Oxford.
. Loner, Grorer Evwarp, F.Z.S.; 5 Thurloe Studios, Thurloe
Square, 8.W.
. Loyp, Lt.-Col. AntHuR Purvis, F.Z.8. (late 21st Hussars) ;
Harnham Cliff, Salisbury (temporary).
. Lussocx, Percy; 26 Cadogan Gardens, 8.W.
. Lumspen, James, F.Z.S.; Arden House, Arden, Dumbarton-
shire, N.B.
. Lurrwan-Jounson, James Arruur, M.A., F.Z.8.; 101 Mount
Street, W.
. McConnett, Freverick Vavasour; 37 Cranley Gardens,
South Kensington, 8.W.
. McLuan, Jonn Cuampers; Waikohu Station, Te Karaka,
Gisborne, New Zealand.
. Macurttan, Grorer Aveustin; 19 Earl’s Terrace, Ken-
sington, W.
Date of
Election.
1894.
1899.
225 1894.
1894.
1899.
1901.
1897.
230 1898.
1899.
1896.
1883.
1899.
235 1900.
1886.
1903.
1879.
1901.
240 1897.
1898.
1900.
1900.
1886.
245 1893.
CEVA
Macrpuerson, Arrnur Horrn ; 51 Gloucester Terrace, Hyde
Park, W.
Marats, Jonann van OosterzuE; ¢/oJ. Hammond Toone, Esq.,
Department of Agriculture, Cape Town, Cape Colony.
Marswatr, Arcuipatp McLran; 29 Queen’s Gate Gardens,
S.W.
Marswatt, JAmMEs McLran; 29 Queen’s Gate Gardens, S.W.
Martin, Bastin Witt1Am; Darley Abbey, Derby.
Martin, Rev. Wittiam Kesir, B.A.; 4 Queen’s Road,
Beeston, Notts.
Mason, Col. Epwarp Snow ; 20 Minster Yard, Lincoln.
Massry, Hersert; Ivy Lea, Burnage, Didsbury, Manchester.
Maruews, Arnotp; Ballynahinch Castle, Toombeola, Co.
Galway.
Maxwett, Rt. Hon. Sir Herserr E., Bt., P.C., M.P., F.RS.;
49 Lennox Gardens, 8.W.
Meavr-Waupo, Evmunp Gustavus Buioomriritp, F.Z,S. ;
Stonewall Park, Edenbridge, Kent.
Metnertzwacen, Ricuarp; King’s African Rifles, Nairobi,
British East Africa; 25 Rutland Gate, 8.W.; and Brock-
wood Park, Alresford, Hants.
Mercatre, Grorrrey Bryan T'nnopuitvs ; 8th (King’s Royal
Trish) Hussars, Cavalry Depét, Canterbury ; and Roche
Court, Salisbury.
Mitrats, Joun Guitte, F.Z.8.; Comptons Brow, Horsham.
Mitts, The Rev. Henry Hotroyp; Treslothan Vicarage,
Camborne, Cornwall.
Mircuett, Freperick Suaw; Clyderhowe, Edmonton, Alberta,
N.W.T., Canada,
Mitcuett, P. Cuatmers, M.A., D.Sc., F.Z.S.; Secretary to
the Zoological Society of London, 3 Hanover Square, W.
Mircuett, Wittram ; 5 Bury Street, St. James’s, S.W.
Monro, Horace Crcir, C.B.; Queen Anne’s Mansions, Queen
Anne’s Gate, S.W.
Monracu, Epwr 8.; 12 Kensington Palace Gardens, W.
Mverorp, Frepprick Ernest; 16 Buckingham Street, Strand,
W.C. ,
Murread, Grorce; Speybank, Fochabers, Co. Moray, N.B.
Mottens, Major Wittiam H., M.A., F.Z.S.; 9 St. James’s
Place, S.W.
250
260
Date of
XVi
Election,
1892.
1897.
1900.
1885.
1882.
1895.
1897.
1872.
1858.
1886,
1902.
1900.
1876.
1902.
1895.
1887.
1882.
1892.
1890.
1889.
1883.
1880.
1891.
Munn, Partie Wincuester ; Laverstoke, Whitchurch, Hants.
Mount, Henry; 83 Kensington Gardens Square, W.
Mosrers, Joun Parrictus Cuaworrn, D.L., J.P.; Annesley
Park, Nottingham.
Neate, Epwarp; 438 Charlotte Street, Portland Place,
W.
Netson, THomas Hupson; The Cliffe, Redcar, Yorkshire.
NesHam, Ropert, F.Z.S., F.E.S.; Utrecht House, Queen’s
Road, Clapham Park, 8.W.
Neumann, Oscar; 10 Potsdamer Strasse, Berlin, W.
Newcome, Francis D’Arcy WitiraAm Croven; Thurston
Lodge, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
Newron, Atrrep, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.8., Professor of Zoology
in the University of Cambridge ; Magdalene College, Cam-
bridge.
Nicuotts, Howarp Hitt Joun, M.R.C.S.; Bramber Lodge,
Downyview Road, West Worthing.
Nicnots, Joun Bruce; Parliament Mansions, Victoria
Street, S.W.
Nicuors, Watrer Bucwanan; Stour Lodge, Bradfield,
Manningtree, Essex.
Nicnorson, Francis, F.Z.S.; 84 Major Street, Manchester ;
and Heathside, Knutsford, Cheshire.
Nicort, Micaart Joun; 10 Charles Road, St. Leonards,
Nosiz, Heattey; Temple Combe, Henley-on-Thames.
Norman, Grorer Cameron, F.Z.8.; 68 Lombard Street, E.C. ;
and Mount Melville, St. Andrews, N.B.
Oates, Everne Wiruiam, F.Z.8.; Savage Club, Adelphi
Terrace, W.C.
Oe1tviz, Fereus Menrerra, M.A., F.Z.S.; The Shrubbery,
72 Woodstock Road, Oxford.
O«itvie-Grant, W. R.; British Museum (Nat. Hist.),
Cromwell Road, 8.W.
Oetr, Brrrram Savite; Hill House, Steeple Aston,
Oxford.
Parker, Henry, C.E., F.Z.8.; 76 Station Road, South Shore,
Blackpool, Lancs.
Parkin, Tuomas, M.A., F.Z.8.; Fairseat, High Wickham,
Hastings.
Parrerson, Ropert, F.Z.S.; Malone Park, Belfast.
270
275
280
285
290
Date of
Election.
1884.
1902.
1894.
1891.
1898.
1891.
1900.
1886.
1888.
1893.
1893.
1899.
1896,
1903.
1903.
1879.
1894,
SER.
XVil
Partrerson, Sir Rosert Lioyp, D.L., F.L.S.; Croft House,
Holywood, Co. Down.
Pease, Sir AtFrED Epwarp, Bt., M.P., F.Z.S.; Pinchinthorpe
House, Guisborough, Yorkshire ; and Barberton, Transvaal,
South Africa.
Pearson, CHARLES Epwarp; Hillcrest, Lowdham, Nottingham.
Pearson, Henry J.; Bramcote, Notts.
Penny, Ertc Frank; Taverham Hall, Norwich.
Penrosk, Francis Grorer, M.D., F.Z.S.; 84 Wimpole Street,
W.
Perctvat, ArtHuR Brayney, F.Z.S.; Somerset Court, Brent
Knoll, Somerset; and The Treasury, Mombasa, East Africa
Protectorate.
Purtires, EK. Lorz, F.Z.8.; 79 Cadogan Square, S.W.
Puiiires, Grorcre THorne ; Wokingham, Berkshire.
Pieorr, THomas Diesy, C.B.; 5 Ovington Gardens, S.W.
Prxz, Tuomas Mayer, M.A.; c/o Mr. Porter, 7 Prince's
Street, Cavendish Square, W.
Popr, WALTER Henry; 2 De Vaux Place, The Close, Salisbury.
Popnam, Hueu Leyrorner, M.A.; 14 Arlington Street,
St. James’s, 8.W.; and Oxford & Cambridge Club, Pall
Mall, S.W.
. Price, AtHEtstaN E.; Broxbourne, Herts.
. Proctor, Major Freprrick Wirtram (late West Riding Regt.) ;
Downfield, Maidenhead.
. Provp, Joan T.; Dellwood, Bishop Auckland.
. Pycrarr, Witt1aMm Prane, F.Z.8S.; British Museum (Natural
History), Cromwell Road, 8.W.
. Rapotyrre, Cuarves Rosert Eustace; Hyde, Wareham,
Dorset.
Rare, Pitcher Greorce; The Parade, Castletown, Isle of
Man.
Rarcuirr, Frepertck Rowiinson; 24 Lancaster Gate, W.
Rawson, Hersert Evetyy, F.Z.S.; Fallbarrow, Winder-
mere.
Reap, Ricnarp Henry, L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S.; Church Street,
Hanley, Staffordshire.
. Reap, Roperr H.; 8a South Parade, Bedford Park, W.
. Rerp, Capt. Savize G. (late R.E.), F.Z.8.; The Elms, Yalding,
Maidstone.
Vii —Vole tile b
Date of
XVill
Election.
1903.
1893.
295 1895.
1896.
1902.
1898.
1896.
300 1893.
1894.
1883.
1903.
1899.
305 1902.
1870.
1902.
1898.
* 1858.
310 1891.
1899.
1889.
1899.
1900.
Renavr, Wittiam E.; 15 Grafton Square, Clapham, S.W-.
Renpatt, Percy, M.D., F.Z.S.; Ewell, Surrey; and
Devonshire Club, St. James’s Street, S.W.
Rickert, CHARrLEs Bouenry ; Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank,
Foochow ; and care of Messrs. H. 8. King & Co., 65 Corn-
hill, E.C.
Rippon, Lt.-Col. Groren, F.Z.8.; 29th Burma Infantry,
Mandalay, Upper Burma.
Riviere, Bernarp Beryt; 82 Finchley Road, N.W.
Rozinson, Hersert C.; Holmwood, Aigburth, Liverpool.
Roeurs, Capt. J. Mippieton, F.Z.8.; Ist (Royal) Dragoons;
and Riverhill, Sevenoaks, Kent.
Roruscuitp, The Hon. L. Watrer, M.P., D.Sc., F.Z.S.:; The
Museum, Tring, Herts.
Rortuscuitp, The Hon. N. Cartes, F.Z.8.; Tring Park,
Tring, Herts.
Sr. Quintin, Wittram Herserr, F.Z.S.; Scampston Hall,
Rillington, Yorkshire.
SanpEmay, Capt. Roperr Preston (late 10th Hussars) ; Dan-y
Park, Crickhowell.
SapswortH, ARNoLD Dump, F.Z.8.; The Dower House, Ember
Court, East Molesey, Surrey ; and National Liberal Club,
Whitehall Place, S.W.
Sareraunt, ARTHUR St. Groree; 83 Madeley Road, Ealing, W.
SaunpErs, Howarp, F.L.S., F.Z.8.; 7 Radnor Place, Hyde
Park, W. (Secretary.)
Saunpers, Witi1am Henry Ranpciirre, C.E., F.Z.8.; 33
Princes Square, W.
ScHEerren, Henry, F.Z.S.; 9 Cavendish Road, Harringay, N.
Sctater, Pariuip Luriry, D.Se., F.R.S., Odiham Priory,
Winchfield, Hants. (Zditor.)
Scrater, Wittiam Lurtry, M.A., F.Z.S.; South African
Museum, Capetown, South Africa.
Setous, Freprrick Courtenny, F.Z.S.; Heatherside, Worples-
don, Surrey.
SenHousg, Humpurey Parricrus, B.A.; The Fitz, Cocker-
mouth, Cumberland.
Serte, The Rev. Wittram, M.A., B.D.; The Manse, Dudding-
ston, Edinburgh.
Service, Roprrt; Maxwelltown, Dumfries.
tS
ios)
to
{@)
ios)
to
on
33°
Date of
Election.
1901,
1899.
1871.
1900,
1900.
1882.
1902.
1896.
1881.
1903,
1893.
1900.
1902.
xe b-<
Sera-Smitu, Davin, F.Z.8.; 14 Canning Road, Addiscombe,
Croydon.
SuaRMan, FrepERIc; 47 Goldington Road, Bedford.
SHarpr, Ricwarp Bownter, LL.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S8. ; Assistant
Keeper, Zoological Department, British Museum (Natural
History), South Kensington, 8.W.
SHELFORD, Roperr; Curator of the Sarawak Museum, Kuching,
Sarawak, British North Borneo; and Hill House, Harvey
Road, Guildford.
. SHettry, Capt. G. Ernest, F.Z.S. (late Grenadier Guards) ; -
39 Egerton Gardens, South Kensington, S.W.
. Suepuerp, The Rev. Caartes WittraM, M.A., F.Z.S.; Trottis-
cliffe Rectory, Maidstone, Kent.
Stmey, ATHELSTANE IntrF; 11 St. Peter’s Road, Mile-end, E.
StaTer, The Rev. Henry H., M.A., F.Z.S.; Thornhaugh
Rectory, Wansford, Northants.
Smita, ApeL Henry, M.P.; Woodhall Park, Hertford.
Sonpres, GroreE Epwarp, Earl, F.Z.S.; Lees Court, Faver-
sham.
SourHwE.1, Tuomas, F.Z.S.; 10 The Crescent, Chapel Field,
Norwich.
Sparrow, Capt. Ricwarp; 7th Dragoon Guards, Natal,
South Africa ; and Rookwoods, Sible Headingham, Essex.
STANLEY, SamvueEL 8.; 3 Regent Grove, Leamington, Warwick-
shire.
Srares, Jo#n WriiiiAM Cuester ; Portchester, Hants.
Srennouss, Joun Huron, M.B., R.N.; c/o Messrs. Woodhead
& Co., 44 Charing Cross, S.W.; and H.M.S. * Hotspur,’
Bermuda, West Indies.
. StrxLine, Witriam, J.P., D.L. Co. Ross; Monar, Ross; and
Kinellan Lodge, Strathpeffer, N.B.
. Stonnam, Cuartes, C.M.G., F.R.CS., F.Z.S.; 4 Harley
Street, Cavendish Square, W.
. Sruppy, Col. Roserr Wricur (late Manchester Regiment);
Waddeton Court, Brixham, Devon.
. Styan, Freperick Witr1am, F.Z.S. ; Ben Craig, Bayham Road,
Sevenoaks ; and Shanghai, China.
. SwrnsuRneE, Joun; Haenertsburg, Transvaal, 8. Africa.
. Swinnor, Col. Coartus, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S.; 7 Gloucester
Walk, Campden Hill, W.
340
345
35°
355
Date of
Election.
1884.
13858.
1873.
1889.
1886.
1900.
1893.
1903.
1894.
1902.
1893.
1902.
1886.
1895.
1881.
Tarr, WrrtaMm Cuaster, C.M.Z.8. ; Entre Quintas 155, Oporto,
Portugal.
Taytor, Epwarp Cavenpisu, M.A., F.Z.8.; 74 Jermyn Street,
S.W.
TEGETMEIFR, Wit~~t1AM Berrnward, F.Z.8.; 16 Alexandra
Grove, North Finchley, N.
Tennant, Epwarp Prravtx; 40 Grosvenor Square, W.; and
The Glen, Innerleithen, N.B.
Terry, Major Horace A. (late Oxfordshire Light Infantry) ;
The Lodge, Upper Halliford, Shepperton.
THorpurn, Arcuipatp; High Leybourne, Hascombe, near
Godalming, Surrey.
Tuorpr, Drxon L.; Loshville, Etterby Seaur, Carlisle.
TrcrHursr, Craup Bucuanan; Winstowe, St. Leonards-on-
Sea; and St. John’s College, Cambridge.
Ticrnurst, Norman Frepertc, M.A., M.B., F.R.C.S.; 35
Pevensey Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea.
Townsend, Reermnatp Gritiat, M.A.; Buckholt, Dean,
Salisbury.
Trevor-Barrys, Ausyn B. R., F.Z.8.; Chilbolton, Stockbridge,
R.S.0., Hants.
. Tristram, The Rev. Henry Baker, M.A., LL.D., F.RS.,
C.M.Z.S., Canon of Durham; The College, Durham.
. Urcuzr, Henry Morris, F.Z.8.; Sheringham Hall, Norfolk.
. Urwicx, Witriam F.; 27 Bramham Gardens, 8.W.
. Ussuer, Ricuarn Joun; Cappagh House, Cappagh, S.O.,
Co. Waterford, Ireland.
. Venovr, SrepHen; Fern Bank, Altrincham, Cheshire.
. Vergy, ALFRED Sarnspury; Heronsgate, near Rickmans-
worth.
. Verner, Lt.-Col. Wittram Wuttovensy Cone; Hartford
Bridge, Winchfield, Hants; and United Service Club,
S.W.
Wane, Epwarp Watrer; 325 Anlaby Road, Hull.
Wane-Datron, Col. H. D.; Hauxwell Hall, Finghall, R.8.0.,
Yorkshire.
Watuts, Henry Marriace; Hilliers, Bucklebury Common,
South End, near Reading.
WatsincHam, Tuomas, Lord, F.R.S., F.Z.S. ; Merton Hall,
Thetford, Norfolk.
Date of
Election.
13899.
360 1896.
1903.
1900.
1891.
1891.
365 1903.
1903.
1887.
1897.
1898.
370 1894.
1896,
1897.
1888.
19090.
375 1887.
1897.
1899.
1902.
1875.
380 1871.
xxi
Watton, Capt. Herserr James, M.B., F.R.C.S.; ¢/o Messrs.
King, King, & Co., Bombay.
. Warpraw-Ramsay, Lt.-Col. R. G., F.Z.S.; Whitehill, Rosewell,
Midlothian, N.B.
Watkins, Watkin ; Highfield, Harrow; and Wellington
Club, 8. W.
Warr, Huan Born; 3 Victoria Drive, Mount Florida, Glasgow.
Wesrett, WiitiaM PercivaL; 5 Glenferrie Road, St. Albans,
Herts.
Wuitaker, Bensamrn Incuam; Hesley Hall, Tickhill, Rother-
ham.
Wuitaker, Josepn I. 8., F.Z.8.; Malfitano, Palermo, Sicily.
Wuitre, StepHen JosepH ; Oakwood, Crayford, Kent.
Waireneran, Cuartes Hues Temprst ; Deighton Grove, York ;
and 1st Durham Light Infantry, Wellington, India.
Wuirrnrad, Jerrery, F.Z.8.; Newstead, Wimbledon,
Surrey.
Wuymeer, Cuartes; 7 James Street, Haymarket, S.W.
Wiextxswortu, Jossen, M.D., F.R.C.P.; Rainhill, near Liver-
pool.
Witxinson, Jounson; St. George’s Square, Huddersfield,
Yorkshire.
Wituams, Capt. Lionrt Arruur; Llangarran, Salisbury ;
91 Victoria Street, S.W.; and Isthmian Club, Piccadilly, W..
Wutson, Attan Rem; Easthill, East Bank Road, Sheffield.
Witson, Cuartes JosepH; 34 York Terrace, Regent’s Park,
NW.
Wiutson, Dr. Epwarp Aprian, F.Z.S. ; Suffolk Hall, Chelten-
ham.
Witson, Scorr Barcuarp, F.Z.S8.; Heatherbank, Weybridge
Heath, Surrey.
Wirnersy, Harry Forsss, F.Z.S.; Holmehurst, Burley, New
Forest.
Wottaston, ALEXANDER FREDERICK Ricumonp, B.A.; 19 Upper
Gloucester Place, Dorset Square, N.W.
Workman, Witt1am Hueues; Lismore, Windsor, Belfast.
Wrienut, Cuoartes A, F.LS., F.Z.8,; Kayhough, Kew-
Gardens Road, Kew, S.W.
Warenat, FE. Percevat, M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.8., Professor of Botany
in the University of Dublin.
Date of
Xxil
* Election,
384
1 fe)
1891.
1895.
1889.
1897.
1899.
1860,
1903.
1908.
Wrieut, Tuomas, M.D.; Castle Place, Nottingham.
Yersory, Lt.-Col. Joun Wrr11amM (late R.A.), F.Z.S.; 8 Duke
Street, St. James’s, S.W.; and Army and Navy Club, 8. W.
Youne, Capt. James B., R.N.; Ridgway House, Ottery
St. Mary, Devon.
Youne, Joun Josrerpn Batpwin, M.A.; Richmond Park, near
Sheftield.
Extra-Ordinary Members.
Gopwin-AusteEn, Lt.-Col. Henry Haversnam, F.R.S., F.Z.8. ;
Nore, Hascombe, Godalming.
Wattacr, Atrrep Russet, F.R.S., F.Z.8.; Broadstone,
Wimborne, Dorset.
Honorary Members.
. Ayres, THomas; Potchefstroom, Transvaal, South Africa.
. Bertepscu, Graf Hans von, C.M.Z.S.; Schloss Berlepsch,
Post Gertenbach, Witzenhausen, Germany.
. Cazants, Dr. Jean, C.M.Z.S.; Friedrichshagen, bei Berlin.
. Cottert, Prof. Rosert, F.M.Z.S.; University Museum,
Christiania.
. Fryscu, Dr. Orro, C.M.Z.8.; Zoologisch Rijkks Museum, Leiden.
. Gierrotr, Dr. Henry Hittyer, F.M.Z.S.; Reale Istituto di
Studi Superiori, Florence.
. Gortpt, Dr. Emin A., C.M.Z.S.; Director of the Goeldi
Museum, Para, Brazil.
. Reicnenow, Dr. Anton, C.M.Z.S.; Museum fiir Naturkunde,
Invalidenstrasse, Berlin.
. Rrveway, Rosert, C.M.Z.8.; Smithsonian Institution, Wash-
ington, D.C., U.S.A.
. Satvaport, Count Tommaso, M.D., F.M.Z.S.; Royal Zoological
Museum, Turin.
Colonial Members.
. Hurton, Capt. Frepericx W., F.R.S., C.M.Z.8.; Christchurch,
New Zealand.
Lecer, Col. W. Vincent, F.Z.8.; Cullenswood House,
St. Mary’s, Tasmania.
Nortu, Atrrep J., C.M.Z.S.; Australian Museum, Sydney,
N.S: W.
Date of
Election.
1890.
1900.
1872.
1880.
1902.
1875.
1872.
1902,
1886.
1903.
1894.
1881.
1890.
1894.
1900.
1894,
1900.
1902.
1896.
Xxlil
Foreign Members.
Aten, Jout Asapu, Ph.D., F.M.Z.S.; American Museum of
Natural History, Central Park, New York, U.S.A.
Brancut, Dr. Vatentrne; Imperial Zoological Museum, St.
Petersburg.
Bocacr, Prof. J. V. Barsoza pu, F.M.Z.S,; Koyal Museum,
Lisbon.
Bureav, Louis, M.D.; Ecole de Médecine, Nantes.
Cuarman, Frank Micurer; American Museum of Natural
History, Central Park, New York, U.S.A.
Dorra, Marchese Giacomo, F.M.Z.S. ; Strada Nuova, 6, Genoa,
Italy.
Fatio, Dr. Vicror, C.M.Z.S., Geneva.
Iuerinc, Dr. Herman von; Museu Paulista, Sao Paulo,
Brazil.
Mavarisz, Dr. Junius von; National Museum, Buda-
Pesth.
Marrore.tt, Dr. Gracinro ; Museo Civico di Storia Naturale,
Milan, Italy.
Meyzsimr, Prof. Dr. Micaart, U.M.Z.S.; Imperial Society of
Naturalists, Moscow.
Meyer, Dr. Apotr Bernuarp, C.M.Z.8., Director of the Royal
Museum, Dresden.
Oustater, Dr. Emits, C.M.Z.S., Professeur au Muséum
d’Histoire Naturelle, Jardin des Plantes, Paris.
Preskr, H.E. Dr. THropor, F.M.Z.8.; Office of the Company
‘** Nadeshda,” St. Petersburg.
Reiser, Dr. Orumar; Landes Museum, Sarajevo, Bosnia,
Austro-Hungary.
Scuatow, Herman; 15 Schleswiger Ufer, Berlin, N.W.
Srrsyecer, Leonnarp, C.M.Z.S.; Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Susuk1in, Dr. Perer, C.M.Z.S.; Imperial University, Moscow,
Russia.
Wier, Hervur; University Zoological Museum, Copenhagen.
CONTENTS or VOL. III.—EIGHTH SERIES.
(1903.)
Numper IX., January.
I. The strange case of Athene chiaradic. By Henry
Hittyer Grersort, H.M.B.O.U., &. &e. (Plate I.) .
II. Notes on the Birds of pane a Capt. H. A. Watton,
Indian Medical Service : : epee y hel Use ote
III. On the Pterylography of Photedilus. By W.P. Pycrart,
ACLS;, 2.48.) .(Plate: LD.) . De Beis) fick wer Gok atl ne eee
IV. A List of the Birds of Lucknow. By WittiaM Jussz,
M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.0O.U. (Member of the Bombay Natural
History Society).—Part ITI. ca hie) SoD a ee mee
VY. Remarks on the Flight of Albatrosses. By Captain F.
W. Horron, F.R.S. Sed Ptae cl aec eet cet) RE
VI. On some rare or unfigured Eggs of Palearctic Birds.
By H. E. Dresser, F.Z.8. (Plate ITI.)
VIL. Notes on the Synonymy of some Palearctic Birds. By
H. E. Dresser, F.Z.8.
SER. VIII.—VOL, IIL. c
Page
1
19
36
49
88
89
XXVI1 CONTENTS.
Page
VIII. Remarks on Pitta longipennis Reichenow and Pitta
reichenowi Madarasz. By R. Bownier Suarrr, LL.D. (PlatelV.) 91
IX. On the Silver-Pheasants of Burma. By Evenns W.
AOORRAS AREAS. ofc e.g pe -o ReERE coerce oe wis ees
X. On the Genera Xenerpestes and Metopothrix. By Hans,
Giralsvon VB EREEPSOH,"\ "as! a) oh tele ais: e-0L nee aur ee
XI. Additional Remarks on certain Species of American
Galline: By W..R. Ogiryin-Granr .. 2; 2. IS
XII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :—
1. ‘Annals of Scottish Natural History’ . » dls
2. Arrigoni degli Oddi on the Harlequin Duck: in Taly 2 114
esea me wAMIK t: SON, rake el) Sy ve, Pi 7 oe ve ee see eee
4. “he Avicaltural Magazine* < . . « «© » .«.‘ MG
5 pentiam-onvan Hor ofa Mod 95 ¢. 2 2 4. . 2 ne llG
6. Berlepsch on new South-American Birds . . . . 116
7. Burturlin on some Birds of Eastern Livonia . . . 117
8. Brewster on North-American Birds . . . Pg kr
9. Coburn’s Ornithological Expedition to North lodland: IE
10: Coburn omAnser-gambeli” 2. 6 ltl
Lipe!The Mimi: as
12. Erlanger on the Genthology of Nuys ssinia, Galles ree.
and Comalialandes: eas ws oe FRY 25) eee owen
13: Finnyon Abrupt Variaiion: pe. 7°. Le. eel
14, Fisher on vanishing Game-Birds . . . ... . 119
15. Gadow on Phalacrocoraz harrit . . . .*. . « 120
16. Hartert on his Travels and Researches . . . . .-120
17. Hartert on the Birds of the Kangean Islands . . . 122
18. Hett on Popular and Local Bird-names . . . . . 122
19. Johnston on the Birds of Uganda. . ... . . 122
20. Legge on the Birds of Tasmania . . ... . . 124
21. Madarssz on a new Blue-throat . .. .. =. . 125
22, Mearns on three new North-American Birds . . . 125
23, Neumann on the Results of his last African Expedition. 125
24, Neumann on new African Birds . ... .. . 126
25. Newton’s ‘Ootheca Wolleyama’ .. . .. . . 126
CONTENTS. XXVli
Page
26. North on Eremiornis . o Eat
27. North on Malurus leucopterus Ba iF
28. Oberholser on the Horned Larks * ot) /e de
eo isotty on london Birds... Give <1. - = stze
30. Reichenow’s ‘ Birds of Africa’ . 129
31. Richmond on new Birds from Siam . 129
32. Richmond on a new Goatsucker . 130
33. Richmond on new Birds from the Sumenet Tslandse 130
34. Rothschild on Birds from Russian Turkestan . . 130
35. Rothschild and Hartert on the Fauna of the Galapagos. 131
36. Salvadori on a new Lark 1st
37. Seth-Smith on Parrakeets » ist
38. Simon on Peruvian Zrochilide . . 182
39. Winge on the Birds of the Danish Taetihontes: 1901. 132
XIII. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. :—
Letters from Mr. O. V. Aplin (two), Count Berlepsch,
Mr. Walter B. Arundel, Dr. Henry H. Giglioli, Mr. T. H.
Nelson, Mr. A. L. Butler, and Count E. Arrigoni degli Oddi.
News of Mr. Nicoll; New Expedition to South America ;
Travels of Capt. Boyd Alexander; The Position of tho
American Vultures; The Generic Term Jworeus; Baron
Snouckaert van Schauburg’s Collection of Birds ; International
Protection of Small Birds; Sale of the late Dr. Stark’s Eggs,
Birds, and Books ; Death of Mr. 'T. E. Buckley . 132
Numper X., April.
XIV. On a new Stork from Borneo. By W. RK. Oainvin-
Grant. (Plate V.) . 145
XV. A List of the Birds of Lucknow. By Wurm Jzssez,
M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.0O.U. (Member of the Bombay Natural
History Society) —Part IV. er ay . 148
XXVlii CONTENTS.
Page
XVI. On the Jbis olivacea of Dubus. By T. Satvaport,
FMGZ:S. . has : Pee Ji
XVII. On the Eggs of the Moa. By Dr. A. B. Meyer . 188
XVIII. Bird-Notes from Morocco and the Great Atlas. By
EK. G. B. Mzapr-Watpo. (Plate VI.) : et ee
XIX. Additional Field-Notes on the Birds of Fohkien. By
CeIBSIRICKETTY 5-2 sr sss a os PY ae ea 215
XX. An Annotated List of the Birds observed on the
Orange River between Aliwal North and Odendaalstroom from
Dec. 21st, 1901, to June 21st, 1902. By C. H.T. Wuirennan,
Lieut. 1st Bat. Highland Light Infantry 222
XXI. Remarks on the Type-specimens of certain Birds
named by the late Carl Peter Thunberg. By Dr. Ervar
Lonnsere, C.M.Z.S8. SM aaa) oe ne F 238
XXII. On the Adult Dress of the Labrador Falcon. By
Prof. M. Mrenzprer and Dr. P. Susuxin . oes ete
XXIII. Notes on the Breeding of Ross’s Snow-Goose in
Captivity. By F. E. Braauw . 245
XXIV. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :—
40, Allen on Species and Subspecies 247
41. Andersen on the Birds of the Feeroe Tstanae 248
42, «The Avicultural Magazine’ , 248
43. Burturlin on the Waders of the Wuasiat ‘Puipire . . 249
44, Buxton’s African Trips 5 249
45. Clarke on the Migration of Hints : 251
46. Dresser’s ‘ Manual of Palearctic Birds’ 252
47. Finn on Hybrids of the Guinea-fowl . 253
48. Finn on Variation in Birds . 253
CONTENTS. XXiX
49. Grinnell on Californian Birds . . ..... . « 253
0. Hartert:on Birds from Pahang. = «5 . « « « 254
ol. Hartert on Birds from Ecuador, fen ee aeeee
52. Hartert on Birds from British Hae ieee ere? hot ap BOS
53. Job on Waterfowl. . . Slaw) Ge % BeLo0
54. Jourdain on the Birds of Derwyetned Hens tae oe fab 200
55. Lord Lilford on Birds . . Ses ee Ta ae Eco
56. Mudge on the Tongue of Parrots oi OW an” ee qe eS
57. Ogilvie-Grant on Shrikes . . .%. . . . . « 258
58. Pease’s ‘Travel and Sport in Africa’. . . . . . 258
59. Peel on Zoological Gardens . . . cohesion
60. Preble on the Biology of Hudson ay? ara . 260
61. Reichenow’s Report on the Progress of Ornithology”: 261
62. Ridgway on the Birds of North and Middle America. 261
63. Rothschild and Hartert on Birds from the Solomon
Islands . . . 262
64. Seebohm and Suaene? acs <Niataotesgh of ie Bianspalvoa? 262
65. Westell on the Young Cuckoo . . . .... . 263
66. Zittel’s ‘Paleontology, vol.ii, . . . . . « « 264
XXYV. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. :-—
Letters from Mr. Richard M. Barrington, Capt. F. W. Hutton,
and Mr. Frank M.Chapman (two). The Australasian Ornitho-
logists’ Union; Report of the Society for the Protection of
Birds; Ornithologists at work abroad . . . . . . . . 285
XXVI. Obituary :—
Mr. T. E. Buckley, Mr. A. A. Le Souéf, and Dr. C. Berg . 270
Number XI., July.
XXVIT. On a Collection of Birds from the Northern Islands
of the Bahama Group. By J. Lewis Bonnorg, M.A., F.Z.S. . 273
XXX
XXVIII. Note on P. Picot’s ‘Tables Méthodiques des
Mammiféres et des Oiseaux ....de la Haute Garonne,’
CONTENTS.
CADAVIESSSHBRBORN, 415s) len cals eee
XXIX. Note on the Genus Certhiparus.
Hurron, F.R.S. ‘ oes
XXX. Remarks on the Flight and Distribution of the
Albatrosses of the North Pacific Ocean.
H. Barrerr-Hamirton, F.Z.S. .
XXXI. On Birds new to Palestine.
Andover, Mass., U.S.A.
XXXII. On the Birds of Fernando Po. By Boyp ALexanpnr,
F.Z.8., Rifle Brigade. (Plates VI*.-IX.)
XXXIII. On some rare and unfigured Eggs of Palearctic
Birds. By H. E. Dresszr, F.Z.S. &c. (Plate X.)
XXXIV. On the proper Names of the Two Forms of Black-
eared Chats. By Josnrn I. 8. Wurraxer, F.Z.S8. .
XXXY. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :—
67.
68.
69.
I
S
‘Annals of Scottish Natural History’
‘The Auk’.
Bangs on the Birds of the Liu Kiu Islands
. Bangs on new Races of American Birds
. Brewster on the Birds of Lower California
72. Bulletin of the Philippine Museum .
Si Sopa
Orlo ok WD OS
~T -Ts7 7 -7
. Chapman on Birds from Alaska .
. Finn on two Birds from Mauritius .
. Finsch on Diceum sollicitans .
. Finsch on two new Javan Birds .
. Finsch on two Species of Centropus. . .«
. Fisher on a new Tern
By Captain F, W.
By Capt. Gerarp E.
. 320
By Sera Merrity,
. 324
Page
. 316
. 330
. 404
. 408
. 410
4a
. 413
. 413
. 413
. 414
. 415
. 415
. 415
. 416
. 416
. 416
CONTENTS. XXX1
Page
79. Fountain on the Mountains and Forests of South
America. . . Miss) caren Ay
80. Godman’s ‘ Biologia (oe ae: (ehomee A ee Fa leg
81. ‘ Handbook of Instruction for Collectors’ . . . . 418
82. Hartert on Brisson’s Generic Terms. . . . 418
83. Hartert on the Birds of the Obi Group, Mistncos . 419
84. Hartert on the Birds of the Tukong-Besi Islands and
‘Baton. .. . wi oeen Wee en he aE.
85. Hartert on the Birds of Batchian Pa ee eee 0)
86. Hartert on a new Oligomyodian Form. . . . . 420
87. Henshaw on the Birds of the Hawaiian Islands . . 420
88. Ihering on the Birds of Sao Paulo, Brazil. . . . 421
89. Innes on the Birds of the White Nile . . . . . 421
90. Kollibay on the Birds of Southern Dalmatia . . . 422
91. Lillo on the Birds of Tucuman ...... . 422
92. Lonnberg on a Fossil Condor. . . . as 4s
93. Lucas on some North-American Fossil Birds Say Sot eee
94. Nelson on a new Clif-Swallow . ....... . 424
95. North on the Egg of the Kagu . .... . «. 424
96. Oberholser on Birds from Paraguay. . . . . . 424
97. Oberholser on new South-American Birds. . . . 425
98. Prichard’s ‘ Heart of Patagonia’ ae 5 AD
99, Richmond on Birds from the jee ee Neha
Islands: « . .°. CP a ee eet
100. Richmond on Birds fran Amat eee meme os //
101. Richmond on Pinarolowias inornata. . . . . . 427
102. Rothschild and Hartert on Papuan Birds . . . . 428
105. Salvadori on the Birds of Franz-Joseph Land. . . 428
104. Salvadori on the Birds of Principe and San Thomé
Islands). .) . 5 - 429
105. Shufeldt on the Gliceifention of certain Groene of
Birds.) © . . 430
106. Swenander on the Gullet al aie of Birds 5 BID
XXXVI. Letters, Proceedings of the British Ornithologists’
Union, Extracts, Obituary, &e. :—
Letters from Mr. Joseph I. 8. Whitaker, Count E. Arrigoni
degli Oddi, and Mr, Harry F. Witherby. Proceedings at the
XXxil CONTENTS,
Page
Anniversary Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Union,
1903; Mr. Walter Goodfellow’s Expedition to the “ Far East’’;
News of Mr. M. J. Nicoll; The Ostrich-farm at Nice; The
Philadelphian Collection of Birds; The Hart Museum, Chaise
church. Obituary: Dr. Gustav Rend a Hig op CE it 2)
Numper XII., October.
XXXVIT. On a Collection of Birds from North-western
Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. By Dr. Eryar Loéynsrre,
SOOM AGud One tasters! vere ovck ds, fo UR fag. 5. fy oct Meme eah
XXXVIII. Ornithological Results of an Expedition up the
Capim River, State of Pard, with Critical Remarks on the
Cracide of Lower Amazonia. By Emit A. Gortpr, H.M.B.O.U.,
C.M.Z.8., Director of the Pardé Museum. . ..... . 472
XXXIX. An Ornithological Journey in Fars, South-west
Persia. By Harry F. Wrrnrsy . pk: . O01
XL. Field-notes on some of the Birds of ie By
Domomrery MCAS MEV Arn ys ere TH Pe oe enOmML
XLI. On a presumed new Species of Redstart from the
Island of Sardinia. By Henry H. Gierrorr, H.M.B.O.U. &. . 581
XLII. A Contribution to our Knowledge of the Birds
occurring in the Southern Shan States, Upper Burma. By
Et.-Col. C. 7. Binenam. (Plates XI. & XIP).° 2 . « . 2084
CONTENTS.
XXxXili
Page
XLII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :-—
107. Arribalzaga on the Birds of Paraguay . . . . 606
108. ‘ The Avicultural Magazine’ . 607
109. Barrett-Hamilton on Birds’ Legs in Flight . 608
110. Butler on Cage-Birds . 608
111. ‘ Cassinia’ , . 609
112. Cockburn on a sapposedl British Goose’. . 609
113, Degen on Ecdysis . 609
114. Dresser’s ‘ Manual of Paloarciie Birds ?. . 610
115. ‘The Emu’ Petaulil
116. Figgins on the Food- pind of tiie Helios : . 613
117. Finsch on the Honey-guides a Gta
118. Finsch on some new Hornbills 618
119. Fuerbringer on the Genealogy of Birds. . 614
120. Goeldi on the Destruction of Birds in Amazonia. . 615
121. Goeldi and Hagmann’s List of Amazonian Birds. . 616
122, Hagmann on his Visit to Mexiana . : . 616
123. Hartert and Hellmayr on the Genus Masius . ; LZ
124. Harvie-Brown on the Birds of the Hebrides Gny,
125. Hose on the Birds of Northern Celebes . 2 Oy,
126. Hudson on Hampshire Birds. . . “ Be (otitis)
127. Kolthoff on the Migration of Marsh- birds 7 ; 619
128. Lorenz-Liburnau on Birds from New Zealand . . 619
129, Lorenz and Hellmayr on South-Arabian Birds . . 620
130. Madardsz on the Birds of Hungary . . 620
131. Madardsz on a new Asiatie Warbler 2021
132. Meyer on new Birds from Celebes . . . . . . 622
133. North on the Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds . 622
134, Salvadori on Birds from Annobom and Fernando Po. 622
135. Sclater’s ‘ Birds of South Africa ’ . 623
136, Scott’s ‘Story of a Bird-lover ’ . 624
137. Seth-Smith’s ‘ Parrakeets’. . . 625
138. Sherborn’s ‘ Index Animalium ’ . 626
139. Stone on Birds from Sumatra . . 627
140. Strong on the Colour of Feathers . 627
141. Strong on the Study of Variation ; 628
142. Ussher on Irish Birds . . . 629
143. Wiglesworth on St. Kildan Birds «629
144. Winge on the Fossil Birds of Denmark . . . 630
SER, VIII.—VOL. III. d
XXXIV CONTENTS.
Page
XLIV. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &ce.:—
Letters from Dr. Emil A. Goeldi, Prof. W. Blaxland Benham,
and Messrs. H. J. Pearson and J. P. Chaworth Musters.
Report of the British Museum (Natural History) for 1902;
Return of the ‘Valhalla’; The Meeting of American
Ornithologists in California; The Penguins of Gauss-land ;
The Red-cheeked Ibis in Europe; Death of Capt. H. F.
Francis; Mr. W. Eagle Clarke; Twelfth Supplement to the
Check-list of North-American Birds . . . ... . . . 630
iimdexcof Scientific. Names” ~~. 4 3: 6 -% % oS eo one
iImdexot Contents. a Ske wm Oe ae OE
Titlepage, Preface, List of Members, Contents, and List of Plates.
PLATES IN VOL) IL
EIGHTH SERIES.
Athene chiaradie . :
Head of Photodilus badins .
Eggs of Palearctic Thrushes ae
1. Pitta reichenowi; 2. Pitta longipennis .
Dissura mortoni
Parus atlas . 5
Map of Fernando Po .
Smithornis sharpei
Urolais marie . SOP. “Belen taunts
1. Apalis lopezi; 2. Cyanomitra ursule
Eggs of Palearctic Birds .. .
1. Suthora craddocki; 2. Suthora thompsoni .
Cerasophila thompsoni
Tins 03; Pr Ie
\
G.Martorelli del. J.Smit hth. Mintern Bros imp. '
ATHENE CHIARADIA:.
Pea Pils:
EIGHTH SERIES.
No. IX. JANUARY 1903.
I.—The strange case of Athene chiaradiz.
By Henry Hittyer Gieriou, H.M.B.O.U., &c. &e.
(Plate I.)
In May 1900 I published a short descriptive note on a
singular specimen of a small Owl belonging to the genus
Athene, which I had received alive from my friend Comm.
Emidio Chiaradia, M.P.* The bird had been captured in
“a nest in a loose stone wall, about sixty metres from a casera
or malga f at Pizzocco on the Prealps of Friuli, at an eleva-
tion of 1003 metres. Pizzocco is not far from Caneva di
Sacile, and is laid down on the Italian Military Ordnance
Map of the province of Belluno in the lower right corner ;
the locality is, however, within the province of Udine (Friuli
proper). I owe these minute and precise indications and
many more, as will be seen further on, to my friend Signor
Graziano Vallon, of Udine, who, being an enthusiastic and
excellent ornithologist, took the case in band at once, and,
after residmg in and carefully exploring the locality for
* I. HL. Giglioli, “Intorno ad una presunta nuova specie di Athene
trovata in Italia,” in ‘ Avicula,’ iv. fase. 29-30, p. 57 (Siena, 1900).
Reprinted in ‘ Ornis,’ xi. p. 237 (Paris, 1901).
+ In the Friulian Alps madga or casera is a rude low hut with loose
stone walls and a high-peaked thatched roof. It is the residence of the
shepherd or ma/ghere, who sleeps there with his family on hay in a loft,
each person rolled in a sack,
SER. VIII.— VOL. ILI. B
2 Dr. H. H. Giglioli—The strange
three consecutive years (1900, 1901, 1902), during the
month of July, and bearing no small hardships, has been
able to supply the materials for a complete history of the
singular case on which I am now writing and the details
for its elucidation as far as we can go. I here offer him my
cordial thanks, and am sure that he will have those of all
true ornithologists.
The nest from which my strange small Owl was taken was
discovered by a shepherd-girl about twelve years old, not,
as I had been previously informed, by a hoy: as she was
looking after her flock one afternoon towards the middle of
July 1899, she noticed a small Owl carrying a big insect
enter a hole in a wall hard by; on climbing up to the place
she found, in a very rudimentary nest amongst the loose
stones of the wall, four nestlings nearly fledged, which she
carried away to her home and endeavoured to feed on .
insects. After a few days three of these nestlings managed
to escape; the fourth was shortly after sold to a shoemaker
at Caneva di Sacile, who used it, tied to a stick, a couple of
months later, to attract Robins and Redstarts, which were
caught with bird-lime; in this primitive sport the little Owl
showed itself very proficient. Later still, my friend Comm.
Chiaradia, a keen sportsman and good observer, saw the
small Owl, and noticing its strange peculiarities, purchased
it from the shoemaker and presented it to me.
This very singular small Owl came into my hands on the
13th of November, 1899; it was so wild that, after a care-
ful examination, fearing that it might further damage its
feathers, already in a rather dilapidated condition, I caused
it to be killed, and had it mounted by one of my taxidermists.
On dissection it proved to be a male.
What struck me at once in the aspect of this small Owl,
and what attracted “a prima vista” the attention of all who
saw it, was the colour of the eyes, the iris being of a deep
brown, which looked black in the living bird. I may add
here that the little girl who captured it with its feliow nest-
lings. on being closely questioned a year later by my friend
Mr. Valion, repeatedly asserted that the four nestlings she
case of Athene chiaradiz. 3
had taken from the nest were perfectly similar, and that ai/
had black eyes; and both she and her father and brothers
repeated this assertion to Mr. Vallon when he met them
again in July last. We shall see the importance of this
assertion, as far as it can be accepted, further on.
Now it is well known that all the small Owls belonging to
the genera Athene, Nyctala, Surnia, Glaucidium, and Scops,
which include species found in Europe, have yellow irides.
A singular exception, if proved, would be that of two non-
European species of Scops ; according to Hodgson, Scops lettia
has yellow eyes when young, while the irides become brown
in old birds. I will merely remark that this is very much
against the rule. And in Scops elegans the iris is said to be
black, 7. e. dark brown. In the larger Owls a few similar
exceptions in genera, in which the all but universal yellow
or orange coloration of the irides is notorious, may be here
mentioned. Thus, in the genus Asio two and perhaps three
species, amongst which is 4. capensis, have brown eyes; and
in the genus Budo we find B. lacteus and B. shelleyi with
brown irides, and B. cinerascens with blue eyes.
I will here mention a case which has quite recently come
to my knowledge, and which might have a closer interest for
us were it not decidedly teratological, for it concerns a
specimen of Athene noctua. This little Owl, an absolute
albino, with snowy-white feathers, pink cere and _ toes,
yellowish-white bill and claws, is interesting, because such
cases of albinism are rare amongst Raptores, both nocturnal
and diurnal. But the strange peculiarity of this specimen,
which was captured in the nest, with four normal nestlings,
at a place called Stagno, near Pisa, in July 1901, and which
I have kept alive at the Museum since the end of January
last, is the colour of the irides ; these, instead of being pink—
z.e. colourless, as in all cases of total albinism,—are of a
dark greenish grey, quite different from the dark brown of
the bird I have called A. chiaradie ; the borders of the eye-
lids are pink. I know of only one other instance of a per-
fectly white Civetta (4. noctua), now in a private collection
at Leghorn, but Mr. A. Carreras, an excellent observer and
Be
ah Dr. H. H. Gigholi—The strange
first-rate field-ornithologist, who skinned it, assured me that
it had pink eyes.
But if the most striking peculiarity to the casual observer
in our A. chiaradie is the dark brown colour of the irides,
to an ornithologist other and, perhaps, more important
differences between it and A. noctua are obvious at a glance.
My specimen, the type of A. chiaradie, is, as I have
already said, a male, hatched at the end of June or the
beginning of July; it was, when I received it and had it
killed and mounted (14 xi. 1899), in its first autumnal plumage
with slight traces of the nestling garb. I should consider
it all but fully grown. On comparing it with an adult male
of A. noctua (12 1. 1888), from the same subalpine region,
Pieve di Cadore (N. 3066 Cat. Birds Ital. Coll. R. Zool.
Mus. Florence), careful measurements gave the following
results :—
A, chiaradie. A. noctua,
Motaldleneth: Cows< sce eeeee ans IO 200 m. 0:220
WVnea ee ph piorme wi wawtenicn sree: pay lOUee 9 O165
BBM bie. 2e « Pie Boca es ROG » O075
IRGSTIGME ooh jo.'t vpeie's eres Snnonace my WHORIs ap HOSTS
Upper mandible (height) ...... ne aye ORO. Osis) 9, 00075
Of course a slight difference in age and the condition of the
feathers (in my A. chiaradie these were rather worn and
spoilt) may partially account for the difference I found in
the size of the two birds; and I may here remark that my
friend Prof, G. Martorelli, who, as we shall see, carefully
~studied and compared the second specimen of A. chiaradie
secured, a female, which was of about the same age as mine
(having been captured as a nestling 7 vii. 1901, and killed and
mounted 5 x1. 1901), found no appreciable difference in size
between it and specimens of A. noctua. And yet both this
and a subsequent comparison I was able to make between
these two black-eyed Civette, the latter being yet alive, have
not done away with the impression that A. chiaradie is a
smaller bird than the average A. noctua. In the type
specimen of the former the skull is narrower and_ less
depressed than is usual in the common species. On dissection
case of Athene chiaradie. 5
T noted nothing worthy of remark, except the large size of
the testes, considering the time of the year and the age of
the individual. My friend Prof. E. Regalia, one of the best
comparative osteologists I know, on carefully comparing
the hmb-girdles and the sternum of this and the common
Civetta, found no appreciabie differences except slightly
smaller dimensions in our bird.
I have nothing to add as to the colour of the irides in
A. chiaradie, in which the palpebral edges are black, making
the eyes look larger than in A. noctua. In my specimen
the bill is notably larger and more robust, as shown in the
measurements given above; it is, moreover, of a uniform
greenish yellow, not darker towards the base, as is usually
the case in A. noctua. The tarsi and toes are nearly bare in
my type specimen, owing to its having been tied by the leg
when used for catching small birds; the toes thus appear
to be proportionately longer than is the case with the average
Civetta, but I have noticed that the relative length of the toes
is subject to individual variation in these small Owls. In
my specimen the claws are somewhat thickened and obtuse,
the natural consequence of iife in captivity.
But what is more important, I think, than any of the
previous differential characters noted, is the obvious fact
that the tone and the pattern or style of the coloration of
the plumage is absolutely different from that in A. noctua,
and, I may add, in any other species of that and allied
genera. Thus in A. chiaradie the light-coloured spots ou
both remiges and rectrices, which form ¢ransverse bands
in other small Owls, are replaced by longitudinal bands
formed by the white margin of the outer and inner webs of
those feathers. This character is well shown in the figures
(1 and 2, p. 6) of the outspread wings of the second example
of A. chiaradie and of one of its co-nestlings, a normal
A. noctua, which I owe to the kindness of Mr. Vallon.
In my first specimen of A. chiaradie the wing- and tail-
feathers, especially the latter, are rather damaged; but the
distinctive features are clear. These feathers are of a dark
umber-brown and shew no trace of those lighter and darker
Dr. H. H. Giglioh—The strange
Fie. 1.
Wing of Athene chiaradie, from a living specimen about
two months old. (7 ix. 1901.)
Fig. 2.
W ing of co-nestling of A thene chiaradie (crdinary A. noctua),
about two months old. (7 ix. 1901.)
case of Athene chiaradiz. 7
transverse bars, exclusive of the spots, which are conspicuous
on the remiges of A. noctua, less so on the rectrices. On
the outer web of the first primary in A. chiaradie the white
marginal stripe is incomplete, being divided into two slight
blotches, and on the next following feathers the longitudinal
marginal band, though continuous, shews traces of division,
bulging out at intervals representing the primitive and now
confluent blotches. On the lower portion of the margin of
the inner web of the remiges of A. chiaradie, the white
blotches also run together so as to form a longitudinal band,
shewing, however, more or less distinct traces of a division
into spots, but these are never distinct and isolated, so as to
form together transverse bands.
The tail-feathers are in a similar condition and shew a
narrow longitudinal whitish stripe on the edge of the outer
web; a broader one with indications of a division into
blotches on the margin of the inner web. I fail to see here.
any divergence in my description from that made of the
second specimen of A. chiaradie by my friend Prof. Mar-
torelli, on which supposed divergence he mainly bases the
supposition that the two specimens of the black-eyed
Civetta are not, as I maintain, perfectly similar.
The ground-colour of all the upper parts in A. chiaradie
is a fine dark brown, similar to that of the dorsal feathers in
Nyctala and Surnia, and totally devoid of that rufous tinge
which is more or less prevalent, but always present, in
A. noctua. Again, the light blotches are apparently larger
and more numerous, except on the top of the head—this is
the case especially on the scapulars ; certainly they are more
conspicuous, but then they are of a pure white and not
more or less veiled and tinged with rufous, as in A. noctua.
In the type specimen of A. chiaradie, on the upper part of
the back, between the scapulars and on the nape, are traces
of the nestling plumage; these feathers are browner than
those of the adult garb, but they are not rufous as in
A. noctua, and the markings do not differ from those of the
adult.
The ground-colour of all the lower parts in A. chiaradie
8 Dr. H. H. Giglholi—The strange
is pure white. The median longitudinal stripes on the
feathers of the chest, abdomen, and flanks are of the same
dark brown as the upper parts, and are narrow and well-
defined, without a trace of that light rufous diffused washing
always found on the lower parts of A. noctua, in which,
moreover, the blotches are larger, more or less rufous, and
less defined.
In my first specimen of A. chiaradie the facial disk is
of a pure silky white in its lower portion, and only slightly
darkened above by the black elongated rhachides of the
modified feathers which surround the eyes and the base of
the bill. The basal patch on each side, of a dark brown, is
very conspicuous. I need hardly say that in 4. noctua
the facial disk, more or less tinged with grey, brown, and
rufous, is very different.
The feathers on the vent and the under tail-coverts are
pure white in 4. chiaradie. In my specimen the tarsi and
toes are well nigh bare; but when I examined the second
specimen, which Mr. Vallon kindly brought to Florence in
October last for my inspection, I noted that both tarsi and
toes were better clothed than is usual in the ordinary
Civetta.
This will, I think, suffice for a description of this strange
new form of Athene, the excellent figure of which (Plate 1.)
I owe to the kindness of my friend Prof. Martorelli. It has
been taken from a photograph of the second specimen of
A. chiaradie, beautifully mounted by Prof. Martorelli him-
‘self, and perfectly similar to the type specimen, except that
its plumage is in a perfect condition, and will go further in
conveying an exact idea of the aspect of this singular bird
than the most minute description.
When I wrote in May 1900 on this strange case, I had a
very incomplete knowledge of the history thereof. I long
hesitated to give a name to the new form before me, but
having excluded the possibility of an explanation based on
hybridism and on a teratological origin—possibilities which
I persist in emphatically excluding even now,—and thus not
being able to admit that the bird before me was a hybrid, and
case of Athene chiaradiz. 9
less still a monstrosity, of A. noctua, I mooted the only
hypothesis left me and named it, with due caution, A. chia-
radia, dedicating it to the friend who had given it to me.
To explain its isolated position in the genus <A‘hene, to
which it evidently belongs, and its extreme rarity, I may
state that A. noctua is one of the commonest and best-known
birds in Italy, and that no one had before mentioned the
occurrence of black-eyed specimens in this country or else-
where. I finally started the notion that my specimen
might be one of the last of a species on the verge of
extinction. Similar cases are known amongst birds; for
have we not within the Italian region Silta whiteheadi,
utterly distinct, singularly isolated, and evidently on the
verge of extinction ?
Of course I was most anxious to learn more about A. chia-
radie, and to secure, if possible, more specimens. Thus I
closed my short paper in ‘ Avicula’ with a warm appeal to
my fellow ornithologists in Italy, and more especially to
those residing in Friuli. I knew beforehand that there, at
least, my appeal would not be im vain, for I have had the
good fortune to know and appreciate Mr. Vallon, of Udine,
for the last twenty years. Mr. Vallon responded nobly to
the call, and the day after reading my paper (21th June,
1900) started from Udine for Caneva di Sacile and succeeded
(but not without difficulty, for the shoemaker, whom he easily
found, knew neither the name nor the residence of the little
shepherd-girl from whom he had bought the black-eyed
Civetta, and poor Comm. Chiaradia had been laid up with a
stroke of paralysis) in tracing back my specimen of A. chia-
radie to the exact locality of its birth and in correcting some
details regarding its capture. He did not, however, succeed
in getting more specimens, although he scoured the locality
and the season was the right one. The mountaineers of
Pizzocco told him, however, that they knew well the kind
of Civetta he sought, and that it was not rare in that
locality, where it breeds, and they promised to let him
know when a nest was found—assertions which, with one
exception, can only be received cum yrano salis. Nothing
10 Dr. H. H. Gigholi—The strange
daunted by his previous failure, early in July of the following
year Mr. Vallon was again on the spot, and on the 7th of
that month his pains were rewarded by the capture of a
second specimen of the peculiar black-eyed Civetta. It was
taken from the nest in a cavity of a rocky cliff, about 100
metres from the malga of Pizzocco, at an elevation of about
1100 metres, and thus in close proximity to the wallin which
the first specimen of A. chiaradie was got two years before.
It was no easy task to get at the youngsters, for several big
stone blocks had to be moved; they lay on the bare rock.
But what astonished Mr. Vallon was to find in the same
nest from which he had taken the small black-eyed Civetta,
three nestlings with the pale yellow irides of the young
A. noctua, covered, moreover, with the reddish-brown down
and growing feathers of that well-known species. The
nestling A. chiaradie, still in’ down, with feathers partially
emerging, has been minutely described by Mr. Vallon in his
first paper, noticed further on; it is very different.
Mr. Vallon started several ingenious hypotheses to
explain the presence of an A. chiaradie in the nest of an
A. noctua ; but these have been withdrawn, as we now know
that thus far such is the ordinary case! Mr. Vallon, and a
bird-catcher who was with him, sought without success to
capture the parent birds. He published shortly after two
interesting and complete accounts of the case and of the
results of his excursions to Pizzocco*.
The young A. chiaradie and its three ordinary co-nestlings
were taken to Udine and carefully reared. In the following
October, when fully fledged, Mr. Vallon took the black-eyed
Civetta and one of its brothers on a round of visits; thus
the two living small Owls, so unlike each other and yet
belonging to the same nest, were carefully inspected in suc-
cession by Prof. Martorelli at Milan, Count Salvadori at
Turin, and myself at Florence. I hada certain advantage over
* G, Vallon, ‘ Nota intorno alla nuova specie di Civetta scoperta nel
Friuli,” in Atti Accad. di Udine, ser. 3, viii. seduta 26 luglio 1901
(Udine, 1901).—Id. “ Ueber Athene chiaradia, Giglioli, in Friaul,” in Orn.
Jahrb, xu. p. 217 (Hallein, 1901).
case of Athene chiaradiz. lA
my friends, for I was able to compare the second specimen
of A. chiaradie secured with the first one and type of the
new form. I found them absclutely alike, and so did those
who saw them with me on that occasion. Meanwhile
Mr. Vallon had learnt that a third specimen of the black-
eyed Civetta had been taken at Fregona, in the province of
Belluno, by a forest guard named L. Barzotto; this was on
the 19th of August, 1901. He hastened to the spot, but
arrived too late, the little Owl, which was ‘half fledged, had
been devoured by a cat! He learnt, however, that it had
fallen from the village campanile together with a co-nestling
with pale yellow eyes; another one like the latter was found
in the nest. Here we have a second instance of the black-
eyed Civetta in the same nest with normal A. noctua*.
As I have previously remarked, the secoud specimen of
A. chiaradie, a splendid bird in perfect plumage, which proved
to be a female, was killed en the 5th of November, 1901, and
was beautifully mounted by Prof. Martorelli, who took the
opportunity to produce the first and very fine picture of this
Owl which we possess—the one which, with his kind per-
mission, is here given. Prof. Martorelli has published it as
a heliotype, with some very sagacious notes on the singular
case of A. chiaradia, which | shall briefly examine on drawing
up my conclusions fF.
I now come to the last episode of this interesting history.
Early last July, anxious to procure further information on
the black-eyed Civetta, the indefatigable Mr. Vallon was
again at Pizzocco, where he passed most of that month. On
the llth I received a pencil-written post-card from him,
announcing that he had discovered two more specimens of
A, chiaradie im identical circumstances to those of last
year, viz. in a nest with normal nestlings of A. noctua ;
these were three, making up the usual number in a brood
of these small Owls. But, what was of great importance,
* G. Vallon, ‘ Fauna Ornitologica Friulana,”’ in Boll. Soc. adriat. Se.
Nat. xxi. p. 109 (Trieste, 1902).
+ G. Martorelli, “ Ulteriori osservazioni sull’ Athene chiaradie,
Giglioli,” in Atti Soc. ital. Sc. Nat. xl. tay. ii, (Milano, 1902).
12 Dr. H. H. Giglioli—The strange
he had succeeded that day in capturing with a noose one
of the parent birds on the nest; it had yellow eyes, and
proved on dissection to be the male. The next day he
secured the female in the same way, likewise on the nest;
she also had yellow irides !
The nest had been discovered by the shepherds at the end
of June, about ten days before Mr. Vallon reached Pizzocco ;
it was amongst the loose stones of a wall forming an en-
closure only about 15 metres from the spot where the
little girl got the first nest in 1899, from which my type
specimen came, and about 70 metres from the malya of the
shepherds. The nest was well in amongst the loose stones,
but quite bare. To my mind there can be httle doubt that
the adult couple captured on this nest are the parent birds of
the clutch of nestlings taken last year with one A. chiaraiie
amongst them, and also of the first brood got in July 1899,
from which my type came, and which, if the assertions of the
girl who got them and her father and brothers are to be
accepted, were all of the black-eyed kind.
On his way back Mr. Vallon was obliged to take shelter
from the rain in a ma/ga halfway between Pizzocco and the
plain ; the shepherd there assured him that four years ago
he had himself used a black-eyed Civetta for capturing
small birds; this would make the nith specimen of this
peculiar form, unless it were one of the wanderers of the
first set.
The five nestlings of this year’s catch are alive in the care
of Mr. Vallon at Udine; he is bringing them up, and when
fully grown they will complete the family group, which I
intend keeping together in the Italian Collection of the Royal
Zoological Museum here. From Mr. Vallon’s description of
the two young A. chiaradie, they in no way differ from the one
he brought up last year; but I have not yet seen them. As
to the parent birds, they are now before me, for Mr. Vallon
kindly sent them as soon as he got back to Udine. As he
himself remarked in his first letter to me after their capture,
they are both singular, and although they cannot in any
way be considered other than true 4. noctua, yet they are
case of Athene chiaradie. 13
individually and in different ways distinct from the usnal
A. noctua. I have compared them carefully with a good
series of adults of both sexes from different parts of Italy,
and found none like them.
The male is a large bird, bigger than the average adult
male A. noctua, whilst its head looks rather small, at least
in the mounted specimen. The coloration of the brown
upper parts and of the blotches on the lower parts is singularly
light, nearly isabelline. For this reason I have compared
it with a specimen of the so-called A. glaux from Tunis ; but it
is quite different and much lighter: indeed I cannot consider
the North-African bird distinet from our ordinary Civetta,
and I have specimens from Tuscany that seem perfectly
similar to that from Tunis on the most minute comparison.
The male from Pizzocco has hardly any white on its facial disk,
which is grey; and, lastly, it is remarkable for the great
number, large size, and white colour of the blotches on the
top of the head, and for the extraordinary width of the
rectrices, the outer ones (not the broadest) measure 22 mm.,
the usual width being about 16 mm. in the adult males of
A. noctua,
The female is not less remarkable, but quite different: she
is small and very dark, but the brown of the upper parts and
the big blotches of the ventral feathers are tinged with rufous,
and differ from the dark umber brown of A. chiaradie, while
they are considerably darker than in the average A. noctua:
the facial disk is remarkably so—brown, greyish, with small
light spots, but no white. The top of the head is as pro-
fusely spotted as in the male, more so than in the average
Civetta, but the mesial light spots of each feather are narrow
and elongated, and, although tinged with rufous, are very
conspicuous on the dark brown ground-colour. Finally, the
tail-feathers are not unusually broad.
Both these birds, fromm which a progeny of black-eyed
Civette have sprung, had, as I have already mentioned,
yellow irides. ‘The cry was that of the well-known. 4,
noctua, and from Mr. Vallon’s observations the habits were
similar; he noticed an extreme rapidity in their flight,
14 Dr. H. H, Gigholi—The strange
The following are the measurements he took on these two
specimens when in the flesh :—
3. o.
Total length .... m. 0:226 m. 0°212
Maa: secs-ave ee ebeneie »: 0088 »» 0°088
Wines Grantee » O'156 pe OMlo2
The smaller size of the female is unusual in these Owls:
for although the sexes do not differ much in size, the female
is slightly the larger ; this one is smaller than the average
A. noctua. ‘the two parent birds in no way resemble their
black-eyed offspring, and at the same time they each differ
in different ways from the average dA. noctua, from which,
however, they cannot be considered distinct, as I have
already remarked.
IT have not seen a specimen of 4. chiaradie in down, but
from Mr. Vallon’s description it is very different from the
nestling of the ordinary Civetta; besides having dark brown
eyes, the down is whiter on the back and on the lower parts,
and the nascent feathers are much darker, shewing no
rufous tinge.
And now that I have given the up-to-date history, complete
so far as possible, of this strange case, it is time to sum up
the ascertained facts, and draw therefrom what conclusions
may appear plausible. The facts are bricfly these:—
a. July 1899.—Four nestlings of Athene taken from the
nest in a loose stone wall at Pizzocco, all said to have had
black eyes. One at least certainly had them of that colour ;
it became the type of A. chiaradie.
p. July 1900.—No specimens of the black-eyed Civetta
seen at and about Pizzocco.
c. 7th July, 1901.—A uestling A. chiaradie captured in
the nest in a hole inacliffat Pizzocco, not far from where the
first was got, but withit were three co-nestlings undoubtedly
belonging to the common l. noctua.
p. August 1901.—A small Owl’s nest found in the belfry
of the church of the village of fregona in the adjoining pro-
vince of Belluno, in which were two ordinary nestlings of
case of Athene chiaradiz. 15
A. noctua and one nestling of A. chiaradia. Seen by re-
lable witnesses, but neither by Mr. Vallon nor by myself—
the black-eyed Civetta having been devoured by a cat shortly
after being found.
BE. 11th-12th July, 1902.—A small Owl’s nest found by
Mr. Vallon at Pizzocco, quite close to where the first was
got, and also placed in a loose stone wall; it contained five
nestlings—two black-eyed A. chiaradie and three yellow-eyed
common 4. noctua. The two parent birds, captured on the
nest, had yellow eyes, and although belonging to A. noctua,
are each of them singular and different in various ways
from the ordinary d. noctua.,
F. July 1902.—News got of a specimen of A. chiaradie
used for enticing small birds by a shepherd in the hills
between Pizzocco and Caneva di Sacile, four years ago, viz.
in 1899. This may easily have been a co-nestling of the
first specimen of A. chiaradie obtained, if the account of
the shepherd-girl who took it at Pizzocco be true.
And now for an attempt to explain the very strange and
novel case. Of course, after what is now known, my first
supposition that A. chiaradie might have been one of the
last survivors of a species on the verge of extinction falls to
the ground. But the opposite hypothesis, that we have in
this singular small Owl a case of neogenesis—i. e. the ev-
abrupt formation of a new type with sufficient differential
characters to constitute, if maintained, a new species,—can,
I believe, be upheld.
The term neogenesis was first used to explain this sudden
origin of new forms from old-established species, if I am
not mistaken, by my frievd and colleague Prof. Paolo Man-
tegazza, many years ago; it has been since used, more or
less in the same sense, by the late Prof. Cope and by others.
I have no intention here of making any attempt to explain
the causes which may bring forth such a result: they are
necessarily various and usually occult. Suffice it to say
that without a strong perturbation of the force of heredity
such primary causes would give no result.
Now, if in the case of A. chiaradie we have indeed an
16 Dr. H. H. Giglioli—The strange
instance of true neogenesis—and the divergence of the parent
birds from the normal type of A. noctua in different direc-
tions would go some way to prove that im them the force of
heredity had been disturbed,—we have before us an attempt
at the formation of a new species, a case of singular and
intense interest. [I cannot but consider it as an attempt,
so far, for it is very possible that the couple of somewhat
anomalous A. nocfua now dead—which generated in all pro-
bability the fowr and perhaps eight A. chiaradie born at
Pizzocco, and which possibly may also have been the parents
of the couple from which the specimen at Fregona (at no
great distance) was born—were alone endowed with the
faculty of generating the black-eyed form, and they can do
sono more. Again, should any of their black-eyed offspring
have survived or should the occult primary causes leading to
this singular case of neogenesis yet exist, and should in
N.E. Italy or elsewhere individuals of 4. chiaradie be again
produced and be able to breed freely, we cannot guess
whether or not the force of heredity, regaining its full sway,
may fix, so to speak, the differential characters of specific
value which suddenly emerged in the first specimens of
A. chiaradie, or else, turning back to an easy atavism,
alter the black-eyed form again to the original yellow-eyed
A. noctua.
In the first case a well-defined and remarkable species
would be established ; in the second my A. chiaradie would
disappear. In either case I opine that the name I have
given to the black-eyed Civetta should be maintained, for it
is of obvious scientific interest to save this important case
from oblivion. It will require several generations, under the
most favourable hypothesis, viz. that more A. chiaradie be
produced, to enable us to decide whether or not a new
species of Athene has been formed.
As to any other hypotheses to explain the formation of
A. chiaradie, 1 can but repeat that I reject both that based
on hybridism, and that of a teratological or pathological
cause. Hybrids always shew traces of the characters of
both parents, especially when, as would be the case in
Case of Athene chiaradie. i
Athene, of sheer necessity the connubium cannot but occur
with a species of such very distinct genera as Nyctala,
Scops, and possibly Glaucidium; now A. chiaradie is purely
and simply an Athene, and shews no trace whatever of the
’ characters, either specific or generic, of any of the forms
quoted above. As to a teratological or pathological origin,
a mere glance at one of the black-eyed Civette will
shew that they cannot owe their origin to such a cause.
Besides in such cases, as again in hybrids, the form
produced varies, and in these black-eyed descendants of
A. noctua the specimens thus far examined are perfectly
alike. The only instance in which we find perfect simi-
larity in pathological descendants is in cases of absolute
albinism or melanism, or, to put it better, in monocroic
varieties.
My friend Prof. Martorelli, in his elaborate paper quoted
above, fully agrees with me in excluding the possibility of
a hybrid origin for the form I have called A. chiaradie ; but
comes to the conclusion that the two specimens known when
be wrote are merely abnormal individuals of A. noctua. He
comes to such a conclusion by starting from a supposed dif-
ference in the two specimens, which does not exist, being
merely based on a slight omission in my first description of the
pecuhar characters of the remiges and rectrices in the type
specimen of the black-eyed Civetta; and more especially by
attributing far too great importance to the traces shewing that
the longitudinal whitish bands on those feathers are derived
from spots and blotches; this is a natural consequence of an
immediate descent from 4. noctua, in which such light
spots and blotches, forming transverse bands on the wing
and tail-feathers, exist. My friend Prof. Martorelli is an
able and ardent student of the pigmentation of feathers ;
he has published remarkable and peculiar views on the sub-
ject, and is an admirer of Bohn and his theories on the
évolution du pigment.”
Prof. Martorelli sums up the results of his investigation
with the following words :—* The examination of this second
specimen, on account of its diversity from the first one
SER. VIII.—VOL, I¥I. c
18 The strange case of Athene chiaradiz.
described, does not appear to me to strengthen the sup-
position that they belong to a new species; on the contrary,
those very differences appear to me to furnish the key to
explain how the strange anomaly has been produced—an
anomaly which [ am inclined to consider one of the many
forms of allocroism, because whilst on one hand we have here
albinism caused by the disappearance of pigment, on the
other we have melanism by its condensation in other parts
of the same feather.”
I am sorry not to be able to agree with my friend Prof.
Martorelli, who has my full esteem as a very competent
and conscientious ornithologist. But, as I have already
remarked, the two first specimens of A. chiaradie do not
differ and are perfectly alike; and although I do not pro-
fess to be a specialist as regards the evolution of pigment in
the feathers of birds, I cannot see any traces of albinism
or of melanism in the singular small Owl which I call
A. chiaradie.
In this case the question of its being a good species or
not is of second-rate importance, and besides, in my opinion,
it cannot at present be either upheld or denied. The very
remarkable new form generated deserves to be kept distinct
in the interest of a scientific problem of much greater im-
portance than the mere addition to the Systema Avium of a
new species.
I believe that neogenesis gives a logical explanation of
the strange case of A. chiaradie. But neogenesis, which
appears to be of frequent occurrence amongst plants, has
rarely been noted in animals, and I believe never before
amongst Vertebrata in a wild state.
Finally, as I have said before, neogenesis may or may not
lead to the establishment of a new species.
Royal Zoological Museum, Florence,
25th August, 1902.
On the Birds of Peking. 19
II.—Notes on the Birds of Peking.
By Capt. H. A. Watton, Indian Medical Service.
Tue following notes are not intended to serve as a complete
list of the birds of Peking; they are founded on a collection
that I made there whilst a member of the British Contingent,
China Field Force, from August 1900 to July 1901. In the
early part of that period the country around Peking was in
too disturbed a state, and for the last three months I had too
much professional work on hand, to allow me to devote
much time to ornithology ; but during the winter I collected
more or less regularly.
Quite a large proportion of the birds were obtained within
the city, in the grounds surrounding the Temple of Heaven,
where the regiment to which I was attached was quartered.
These grounds form a large park-like enclosure of many
acres, in which are several groves of trees. The place is
much frequented by birds of all kinds, especially during the
seasons of migration.
The country around Peking is a vast plain, and is prac-
tically all under cultivation. I found that the best spots
for observing and collecting birds were the plantations round
the numerous small cemeteries that are scattered among
the fields. Another good place was a considerable area of
marshy ground just inside the city wall, in the south-east
corner of the Chinese city. Here there were a number of
ponds surrounded by reed-beds, which were the resort of:
many Ducks and other water-birds, though the reeds were
so thick and high that it was not always easy to retrieve
the birds when shot. The best places for Ducks and Snipe
within reach of Peking are the large lakes at the Summer
Palace. The water is, however, very open and the birds
most wary.
The climate of Peking presents great contrasts of heat
and cold. During the march, in August, from Tientsin to
the relief of the Legations, the temperature was frequently
as much as 105° Fahr. in the shade. During December,
January, and February the cold was intense ; the rivers and
C2
20 Capt. H. A. Walton on
ponds were all frozen hard, and snow lay on the ground for
about six weeks. The most unpleasant feature of the climate
consists in the very frequent dust-storms and blizzards. These
often last for several days at a time and make outdoor work
very disagreeable.
The country from Peking to the sea is quite flat ; to the
west of the city, and distant from four to twelve miles, is a
range of hills, to which, in ordinary times, the Kuropean
residents go during the hot weather, and at the foot of
which is the Summer Palace. I had hoped to pay a visit to
these hills, but circumstances unfortunately prevented me
from doing so.
In the immediate vicinity of Peking there are no rivers of
any size. A small stream partly skirts and partly runs
through the Hunting Park, and there is a neglected shallow
canal between the city and the lakes at the Summer Palace.
The Hunting Park is about three miles to the south of the
Chinese city. It is all grass-land and there are some small
lakes in it. The fact that there are no forests close to
Peking accounts for the absence of many birds that one
would have expected to meet with.
The Pekinese are great bird-fanciers. Like the Mussul-
man inhabitants of India, with their Partridges and Quails,
the Chinese are fond of carrying their birds about out of
doors, either in small cages or tethered by a string to a
twig. The favourite cage-birds are Calandra Larks, Ruby-
throats, Blue-throated Robins, Siskins, and a species of
Dryonastes. Some of the birds in my collection were ob-
tained from the professional bird-catchers. These men
take very large numbers of small birds of all kinds, both
with small bow-nets of a very simple design and with bird-
lime ; many of their captures are sold for cage-birds, and the
remainder, no matter how small the size may be, are eaten.
I also purchased a few dead birds—mostly Ducks—in the
markets during the winter. The only drawback to the
latter method of collecting was that, as most of the birds
were frozen hard, possibly some of them had not been obtained
in the neighbourhood of Peking, but had been brought from
the Birds of Peking. 21
a distance. However, I checked this as far as possible by
inquiry made through an interpreter.
The nomenclature adopted in the following list is mainly
that which is employed by Messrs. Oates and Blanford in
the ‘Fauna of British India” In the case of birds which
do not occur in India I have used the classification of the
British Museum Catalogue.
I am glad to take this opportunity of thanking Mr. Rene
Finn, of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, for much help in the
identification of my specimens.
1. Corvus Torquatus.
In the middle of August, when I reached Peking, there
were very few of these handsome Crows; from October
onwards they arrived in large numbers, and were quite
common during the winter. Most of them had left by the
middle of May, but I still saw an occasional specimen up
to the middle of July, when I went away from Peking.
They are very wary birds and unusually silent for Crows,
though they have the usual deep harsh “caw.” One call,
which is often uttered on the wing, consists of three notes,
with an interval of a fifth between the first and second, the
third note being the same as the second.
2. CoRVUS MACRORHYNCHUS.
Common, but less so than C. pastinator. The specimens
that I got in Peking are identical with Indian birds.
3. Corvus PASTINATOR.
A very common resident. Nearly all the Rooks and
Crows leave Peking in the early morning, large mixed flocks
of the various species going off to feed in the Hunting
Park and in the fields round the city, They come back at
sunset to roost.
4. Corvus DAURICUS.
This bird comes to Peking at about the same time as
C. torquatus. It was especially numerous during the very
cold weather in December and January, Its voice is very
like that of the English Jackdaw.
22 Capt. H. A. Walton on
2
5. PICA RUSTICA.
This is one of the commonest birds in the province of
Chi Li, and is very plentiful and tame in the city itself.
6. Urocissa ERYTHRORHYNCHA.
I did not see this bird wild, but bought some dead speci-
mens in the market in February. The Chinese keep a few
in captivity.
7. CYANOPOLIUS CYANUS.
Very common near Peking. The birds go about in flocks
of from ten to twenty, feeding mostly on the ground. They
are noisy, and have very varied hissing and metallic-sounding
notes. The members of a flock follow one another about
like Babblers.
8. Parus MINOR.
I purchased one caged specimen, but saw no wild birds,
nor did the bird-catchers bring me any. Pére David says
that this species is found in the mountains near Peking.
9. PARUS PALUSTRIS.
A common resident, very numerous in the Temple of
Heaven Park.
10. ZostEROPS ERYTHROPLEURA.
Several live specimens of this White-eye were brought in
by the bird-catchers at the end of May.
11. CerTHia FAMILIARIS.
I shot two specimens during a very severe frost in January.
-I saw no others. Pére David (quoted by Swinhoe, Proc.
Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 350) says that the Tree-creeper is a rare
visitant to Peking in winter.
12. REGULUS CRISTATUS.
I saw and shot a few Goldcrests in the first fortnight of
January.
13. LocusTELLa CERTHIOLA.
Pallas’s Grasshopper-Warbler occurred in small numbers
at the end of May. David and Oustalet (‘Oiseaux de la
Chine’) did not meet with it at Peking.
the Birds of Peking. 23
14, ACROCEPHALUS ORIENTALIS.
This species arrived at the end of May and was very
common during the summer. It is a very noisy bird, and
frequents thick reed-beds over water, where, perched at the
top of a high stem and singing a loud harsh song almost
continuously, it is a very conspicuous object.
15. ACROCEPHALUS BISTRIGICEPS.
Schrenck’s Reed-Warbler was also common. It arrives
at the same time and has much the same babits as the pre-
ceding species.
16. ACROCEPHALUS AGRICOLA.
Common at the same time as the last two species. It
is found further away from water than the latter.
17. ARUNDINAX AEDON.
A summer visitor to Peking. This bird is often kept in
captivity by the Chinese, who carry it about the streets
tethered to a twig by a fine silk thread fastened round the
neck. It seems to become tame within a day or two of its
capture.
18. PHYLLOscOPUS FUSCATUS.
The Dusky Willow-Warbler was common for about a
month, from the middle of April. I did not notice it after
the middle of May, by which time the reproductive organs
were still very little developed. It probably does not breed
at Peking.
19. PHYLLoscoPUs PROREGULUS.
Large numbers of this species passed through Peking on
migration in April and October. I saw none in the inter-
vening months. This was the earliest of the Warblers to
arrive. I shot the first specimen on April 6th.
20. PHYLLOoscoPpUS SUPERCILIOSUS.
Common for about four weeks in May, arriving at the
beginning of the month. Also fairly common at the be-
ginning of September. This bird keeps to the tops of the
trees and has a dissyllabic call-note—very loud for such a
small bird.
—
24 Capt. H. A. Waltonzon
21. ACANTHOPNEUSTE CORONATA.
I did not notice this bird before the end of May, when
the sexual organs were well developed.
4-22. ACANTHOPNEUSTE BOREALIS.
This was the latest of the Warblers to arrive at Peking,
which it did at the very end of May.
24, LANIUS LUCIONENSIS.
These two Shrikes were first seen about the middle of
May. They are very shy, but reconcile themselves readily
to captivity.
23. Lanivus ae et
25. LaANIvs TIGRINUS.
Arrived at Peking in June. It was never very numerous.
26. AMPELIS GARRULUS.
Waxwings were fairly numerous for about three weeks
from the middle of January onwards, during very cold
weather. They occurred in flocks of ten or twelve and were
very shy. I shot several inside the city, in the Temple of
Heaven Park.
I did not see A. phenicopterus.
27. ORIOLUS CHINENSIS.
Fairly common. Orioles arrived at the beginning of
June, and commenced to nest almost at once.
28. MuscicaPa GRISEO-STICTA.
Common at the end of May and beginning of June.
29. SIPHIA ALBICILLA.
This Flycatcher passed through Peking at the beginning
of September and returned at the beginning of May. It
keeps to the very lowest branches, two or three feet from
the ground, whence it takes short flights, returning to the
same perch. It frequently alights on the ground and is
distinctly crepuscular in its habits. It has a very harsh,
loud note.
30. ALSEONAX LATIROSTRIS.
Both adults and young birds were common during August
-
the Birds of Peking. 25
and the early part of September. They returned to Peking
about the middle of May.
31. TERPSIPHONE INCIL.
I first saw a bird of this species, a male in the white
plumage, on May 2lst. Mr. Oates (‘ Fauna Brit. India,’
Birds, vol. u. p. 47) considers that 7. incit never assumes the
white plumage. I was unable to shoot the bird mentioned
above, but a few days afterwards 7. incii became fairly
common; unfortunately, I only managed to secure specimens
in the chestnut plumage, which, however, were all 7. incit.
It seems unlikely that the first bird was of a different species.
32. PRATINCOLA MAURA.
This Bush-Chat was very common for about ten days at
the beginning of May, on some waste land inside the
Chinese city. I did not see it afterwards.
33. RuriciLLa AUROREA. .
I shot a few Redstarts of this species during October, and
again early in April. I saw none after about the middle of
the latter month.
#84. CYANECULA SUECICA.
A very favourite cage-bird. The Chinese bird-catchers
caught a great many during the month of May.
35. ErirHacus cYANEUS.
Several specimens of the Siberian Blue Robin were
brought to me by the bird-catchers at the end of May. I did
not see it wild.
36. CALLIOPE CAMTSCHATKENSIS.
Many Ruby-throats were caught during May. They seem
to thrive well, for a time at least, on a mixture of finely
chopped up raw meat and bean-flour paste ; but a bird that
has passed safely through the winter in captivity commands
a good price.
37. 'TARSIGER CYANURUS.
This was the earliest of the spring migrants at Peking,
Many cock birds arrived in the middle of March, the heus
26 Capt. H. A. Walton ox
coming about a fortnight later. This species feeds a gooc
deal on the ground, like a Robin, but is also somewhat
Muscicapine in its habits, catching insects in the air, and
returning after a short flight to its original perch. It
frequently moves its wings and tail like a Redstart. I only
heard it utter a harsh call-note.
38. XANTHOPYGIA TRICOLOR.
I obtained a few specimens at the end of May. The bird
appears to be uncommon at Peking.
89. TurDUS NAUMANNI.
I saw no Ouzels until the beginning of November, when
a few individuals of this species appeared in the Temple of
Heaven Park, and in small plantations outside the city.
By the middle of November 7. nawmanni had become quite
common, and it increased in numbers as the winter went on.
For about a month this was the only Ouzel that I obtained ;
then 7. ruficollis arrived, and soon became equally numerous.
The two species associated freely with one another. At first
the birds were met with singly or in small parties, but
when the cold became severe and the ground was covered
with snow they formed flocks of twenty or more individuals.
I did not see 7. nawmanni after the beginning of June. It
has a very loud alarm-note.
40. TuRDUS RUFICOLLIS.
The Red-throated Ouzel arrived at about the beginning of
‘December, and was common until the beginning of May.
David and Oustalet (‘Oiseaux de Ja Chine’) say that it is
rare at Peking. This was not my experience, though it was
never so abundant as the preceding species.
41. Turpus FUSCATUS.
I obtained specimens of the Dusky Ouzel at Peking in
April and May, but did not see it durmg the winter. It
associated with the two preceding species, which, by the time
that T. fuscatus appeared, had become much reduced in
numbers.
the Birds of Peking. 27
42. Turpus ozpscurus.
I shot two birds of this species in the last week of May.
They were with a small party of 7. nawmanni, and seemed to
be rather wilder, flying up to the topmost branches of high
trees when alarmed.
43. TURDUS ATRIGULARIS.
A few Black-throated Ouzels passed through Peking in
the end of April.
44, CoccoTHRAUSTES JAPONICUS.
Hawfinches were very common in and about Peking, from
the beginning of November until the end of April.
45. Loxta, sp. ine.
I did not see any wild Crossbills. The bird-fanciers had
a few (probably LZ. japonica) in the early spring. They
asked such high prices for them that I think that they must
either be very rare or else be brought from some distance.
46. CARPODACUS ERYTHRINUS.
Not very common, and only seen during May.
47. CHRYSOMITRIS SPINUS.
I saw a few Siskins in the autumn. The Chinese bird-
fanciers keep large numbers in captivity.
48, LINOTA LINARIA.
Very common from November until the beginning of
April.
49, CHuLoris SINICA.
This species occurred in large flocks in the Temple of
Heaven Park, for a few days at the end of January. They
were very wild and kept to the tops of the trees.
50. FRINGILLA MONTIFRINGILLA.
Very common all through the winter, but disappeared
about the middle of April.
51. PassER MONTANUS,
This is the Common Sparrow of Peking. It is quite as
familiar as P. domesticus elsewhere.
28 Capt. H. A. Walton on
52. EMBERIZA AUREOLA.
Common in the reed-beds up to the beginning of November.
After that it was absent from Peking until the middle. of
May, from which time it became plentiful, but only stayed
for about a month.
53. EMBERIZA PUSILLA.
I did not see the Dwarf Bunting until early in October.
It was excessively common all through the winter, and
remained, but in diminished numbers, until the middle of
July, when I left Peking. It has a long, rather pretty, but
weak song.
54. EMBERIZA RUSTICA.
I shot a few specimens of this Bunting in the middle of
October, but did not see it again.
55. EmMBERIZA SCHENICLUS.
Very common, from December onwards, through the
winter.
56. EMBERIZA LEUCOCEPHALA.
I saw a few small flocks of the Pine-Bunting, and shot
some specimens, during very severe weather, at the end of
February.
57. EMBERIZA RUTILA.
The Chestnut Bunting arrived about the middle of May.
It has a single loud call-note.
58. EmBERIZA SPODOCEPHALA.
Common during the spring migration in May. My speci-
mens quite bear out Mr. Hume’s observations (‘Stray
Feathers,’ vol. xi. p. 276) that Chinese specimens of this
Bunting have the throat and breast much more grey than
those from India.
59. EMBERIZA ELEGANS.
A few examples of this species were brought to me by a
bird-catcher at the endof May. I did not see it wild myself.
60. EMBERIZA CASTANEICEPS.
I shot a few specimens at the end of May.
the Birds of Peking. 29
61. EmMBERIZA FUCATA.
This Bunting arrived at the same time as the preceding
species. It was not at all common.
+-62. Hirvunpo rustica.
63. Hirunbdo GUTTURALIS.
A few of my skins appear to be typical specimens of each
of these species, but the majority are quite intermediate.
I omitted to record the date of departure of the Swallows in
the autumn. In the spring I saw the first one, in the
Hunting Park, on March 31st. Then came a short spell of
cold weather, and it was not until a fortnight later that the
Swallows became at all numerous.
64, MoracILya ocuLaRris.
65. MoraciLia CITREOLA.
66. MoracinLa BOREALIS.
These three Wagtails reached Peking at the beginning of
May, and were about equally plentiful.
67. LimonipROMUs INDICUS.
I first saw the Forest-Wagtail at the end of May. It was
never very common. It frequented small groves of trees,
and was very like a Tree-Pipit in its habits. It feeds on the
ground and flies up to a branch when disturbed.
68. ANTHUS MACULATUS.
Common, apparently, throughout the year.
69. ANTHUS SPINOLETTA.
Very common during the winter.
70, MELANOCORYPHA MONGOLICA.
According to Swinhoe (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 390)
this Lark occurs on the Peking plains in winter; but,
although on the look-out for it, I never saw it wild. It is
one of the commonest and most popular cage-birds of the
Chinese, as it thrives in captivity and is an indefatigable
songster. Its notes, however, are unpleasantly loud and
shrill.
30 Japt. H. A. Walton on
+71. ALAUDA ARVENSIS.
Very common during the winter, when many are caught
and eaten by the Chinese. It is probably a resident at
Peking.
72. GALERITA CRISTATA.
Not common. I shot a few in the autumn.
73. GECINUS CANUS.
A very common resident. This Woodpecker was especially
plentiful in the Temple of Heaven Park. It feeds a great
deal on the ground.
74, DENDROCOPUS CABANISI.
Common. Makes a very loud noise when tapping on a tree.
The sound is equally sonorous whether the branch is large or
small, and must be produced by the bird itself, irrespectively
of the degree of hollowness of the bough. This species
has a very loud, constantly repeated, “ clucking ” call.
75. IyNGIPICUS SCINTILLICEPS.
Common and resident. One of my specimens, a male,
shot in the middle of December, has the under parts uni-
form buffy white, with no trace of longitudinal stripes ; the
amount of white on the back is more extensive than in any
of the other skins.
76. ALCEDO ISPIDA.
Not at all common near Peking.
77. Upupa EPOPS.
Vexy common and breeding in the spring. David and
Oustalet (‘ Oiseaux de la Chine’) mention that it some-
times occurs in Peking in the coldest weather of winter. I
shot one, which shewed no signs of having been in confine-
ment, on December 9th, during a week of very hard frost.
After that I saw no more Hoopoes until the middle of
March.
78. CYPSELUS APUS.
Very common all through the summer. It arrived at
the end of April.
the Birds of Peking. 31
79. CucuLUS CANORUS.
Cuckoos arrived about the middle of May and were very
numerous for about a fortnight in the grounds surrounding
the Temple of Heaven. They avoided the higher trees, and
perched on very low branches, feeding frequently on the
ground. At the beginning of June they dispersed about
the district.
80. Asio oTUs.
This was the only Owl that I saw. It was rather
common, especially in the groves of trees round the Chinese
cemeteries.
81. AQUILA sp. inc.
I saw a large Eagle, which I could not identify, hanging
up at a stall in the market during the winter. I think that
it was probably 4. difasciata, in immature plumage.
82. CiRcUS MELANOLEUCUS.
83. CrRcUS CYANEUS.
These two Harriers are very common residents, and are
constantly to be seen hunting over the grass plains to the
south of the city.
84, ACCIPITER NISUS.
Rather common and resident.
85. FaLco PEREGRINUS.
Not uncommon. I shot one inside the Temple of Heaven
Park and saw another in the south-east corner of the Chinese
city. The latter bird made a fine swoop at a Mallard, which
it just missed. Pd
!-86. AISALON REGULUS.
Very common, especially in winter.
+-87. TINNUNCULUS ALAUDARIUS.
Also very common. Although I saw and shot a good
many Kestrels I did not recognise or obtain an example of
T. cenchris.
88. CoLUMBA LIVIA.
Common, in a _ semi-domesticated state, in and about
Peking.
32 Capt. H. A. Walton on
89. TURTUR RISORIUS.
During November I saw two individuals of this species, and
shot one, a few miles southof Peking. I never saw it again;
there certainly were none during the winter, and in the
spring I had very few opportunities of collecting at any
distance from the city.
90. TuRTUR ORIENTALIS.
Very common after March. I think that a few indi-
viduals of this species remained at Peking during the winter.
On several occasions during the severe weather I saw a Dove
that looked like 7. orientalis, but was unable at the time to
procure a specimen.
9]. PucRASIA XANTHOSPILA.
A few of these Pheasants were exposed for sale in the
market in January and February.
-+-92. PHASIANUS TORQUATUS.
There were very many of these birds in the markets
during the winter. Most of them came from the “ Western
Hills.’ I saw one wild at a place about ten miles from
the city.
93. CoruURNIX JAPONICA.
Very common during the whole time that I was at Peking,
except for about four weeks in the middle of winter, when
the ground was covered with snow. I shot several examples
in the Temple of Heaven Park. I kept one in a cage for
some time, but never heard it utter a sound.
94, CAcCABIS CHUKAR.
I saw two or three Chukors in the market during the
winter.
95. TURNIX BLANFORDI.
I shot two specimens of the Burmese Button-Quail in
the Temple of Heaven Park in June.
96. PoRzANA PUSILLA.
I obtained one specimen, in May, of the Eastern Baillon’s
Crake. This bird, like its congeners, is such an inveterate
skulker that it is hard to say whether it is common or not.
the Birds of Peking. 393
97. GALLINULA CHLOROPUS.
Common about all the ponds as long as they remained
unfrozen.
+98. FuLica aTRA.
Equally common.
99. GRUs, sp. inc.
On two occasions in the spring I saw small flocks of
Cranes, high up in the air, flying northwards. The Man-
churian Crane is sometimes kept in captivity in Peking.
100. Microsarcors CINEREvS (Cat. B. xxiv. p. 133).
I had one specimen sent to me from the Summer Palace
on April Ist. It was a hen, with a moderately developed
ovary. I saw no others.
+101. VANELLUS VULGARIS.
There were large flocks of Lapwings in the Hunting Park
at the end of March. They were very wild, and I only
managed to shoot one.
102. ANGIALITIS ALEXANDRINA.
I shot a single bird of this species at Tientsin in August,
but did not see it alive at Peking, though there were several
examples in a frozen state in the market during the winter.
103. Is1IpORHYNCHUS STRUTHERSI.
I bought the only specimen which I saw in the market at
the beginning of February.
+104, NuMENIUS ARQUATA.
Curlews were common in the early spring, especially in
the Hunting Park.
4-105. ToTraNuUs OCHROPUS.
Fairly common.
106. Toranus GLAREOLA.
I shot a few specimens in the spring.
107. TRINGA TEMMINCKI.
Common at Tientsin in August—uncommon at Peking.
SER, VIIJ— VOL. ILI. D
34 Capt. H. A. Walton on
108. GALLINAGO MEGALA.
I shot one of these large Snipes in the Temple of Heaven
Park in May, and saw other birds, doubtless of this species,
in the same place, at the end of September. It frequents
dry spots, and has a rather slow, very direct flight, skimming
along among the trees, a few feet from the ground, for
twenty yards or so. It can be flushed several times before
it becomes really alarmed.
+109. GALLINAGO C@LESTIS.
Common, especially on the swampy lakes at the Summer
Palace.
I did not happen to shoot any specimens of G. stenura,
though David and Oustalet say that it is common in the
neighbourhood of Peking.
+110. HyprocHELipon HYBRIDA.
I shot a Tern of this species at Tientsin in August.
11]. PHaacrocorax CaRBo.
Common on the large lake in front of the Summer Palace.
A specimen obtained on March 2Ist was in full breeding-
plumage.
a 112. ARDEA CINEREA.
Common.
113. Heropias, sp. ine.
A large white Egret, of which I did not obtain a specimen,
was fairly common in the spring. It was probably H. alba.
114. Nycricorax GRISEUS.
Commonly met with in the spring and summer: it is
possibly a permanent resident.
115. Boraurus sTELuARIs.
There were a few Bitterns in the market in the early
spring.
116. CyGNUS OLOR.
I saw a dead Mute Swan in the market in winter. It
had possibly been in captivity.
the Birds of Peking. 35
+117. Cyenus musicus.
Common all through the winter.
118. AwseER, sp. inc.
A Goose that I took to be a Bean- Goose — probably
A. serrirostris (Cat. B. xxvii. p. 101)—was for sale in the
market occasionally during the winter.
+119. CasaRca RUTILA.
Not uncommon.
+-120. ANas Boscas.
Very common all through the winter; probably the
most abundant Duck about Peking.
121. EuNerta FALcaTA.
Common. The drake has a short, low, trilling whistle.
This is an excellent bird for the table.
122. Nerrrum FroRMosuM.
Common. Blanford (‘ Fauna Brit. India,’ Birds, vol. iv.
p. 442) does not mention the fact that all the black parts
of the head and neck of this species have a well-marked
reddish-bronze metallic lustre. This is also a very good bird
for the table.
+123. NErrruM CRECCA.
The Common Teal was plentiful all through the winter.
-- 124. Mareca PENELOPE.
Rather common.
125. Nyroca BAERI.
Baer’s Pochard was very common.
+126. MeErGuUs ALBELLUS.
Common during the winter.
127. MERGANSER CASTOR.
Common.
128. PopiciPEs CRISTATUS.
Great Crested Grehes were common on the lakes at the
Summer Palace in spring.
D
129. PopicIPES PHILIPPENSIS.
Common on all the ponds, except during very severe frosts,
D2
36 - Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the
III.—On the Pterylography of Photodilus.
By W.P. Prenarr, A..5., F.2:5.
(Plate IT.)
Tur following paper gives the result of a careful study of
the pterylosis of an adult specimen of Photodilus badius
received recently by the Natural History Museum from
Dr. C. Hose, F.Z.8., the Resident at Baram, Borneo.
Observations on this subject have been made before, but
no thoroughly detailed account of the pterylosis of Photo-
dilus has hitherto been given. Although this article claims
to be the most nearly complete account of the subject up to
the present time, yet one or two small points still remain
to be recorded. These concern the overlap and the relative
lengths of the feathers forming the coverts of the dorsal
g, which could not well be made out in the
specimen to hand.
In the general form and distribution of the pterylee Photo-
dilus is distinctly Asionine in character, but in the form of
the external ear it is unique.
I hope, ere long, to have the good fortune to be able
to study the pterylosis of Heliodi:ws. This is now one of
aspect of the win
the most important forms of the Striges awaiting a detailed
description.
I. Description of the Pleryle.
Pteryla capitis (P1. 11.) :—
Fronto-parietal area.—This extends from the base of the
beak to the crown of the head, and passing backwards
merges into the occipital area. Traced from the beak it
commences in the form of a broad band bounded on either
side by the upper horns of the crescentic loral area. On
the crown of the head the band narrows somewhat, widening
again before passing into the occipital area, while it is
bounded on either side by a well-marked apterium.
Occipital area (Pl. 11. fig. 3).—This may be said to com-
mence at a point corresponding to the level of the aperture
of the left ear as a sudden widening of the fronto-parietal
“SNIGVE SNTIGOLOHd AO GVaH
‘dvar soag Ura perp
WALI TPP Ploaugap-y
‘Quen’ 700 AD = <=
eee «ft
; : } Ss SRR Sa
ia) = ; : eats : . E 5 A
ca
IWId 061 t41
Pterylography of Photodilus. 37
area, The lateral borders of this tract are semicircular in
outline, the tract itself suddenly narrowing at the base of the
neck to pass into the pteryla colli dorsalis. The feathers in
this area radiate outwards from the middle line on either side.
Loral area (P). Il. fig. 1).—This is represented by a
densely packed crescentic patch of feathers in front of the
eye, and is continued forwards on the beak to terminate
as a cone-shaped area just below the external narial aper-
ture. This cone-shaped area thus comes to be divided in
the middle line from its fellow of the opposite side by the
cere, whilst its inferior border runs along the basal portion
of the beak, but some distance above the tomium. It then
passes backwards behind the gape as a narrow band of
feathers to join the circum-aural area.
Ocular area.— This area, as in other Owls, is of great size,
owing to the lateral projection of the eyes. The lower lid is
clothed by numerous rows of concentrically arranged feathers,
which pass upwards at the posterior canthus to form a broad
band running to the circum-aural area, but first sending
forwards a branch to clothe the upper lid. The feathers
there differ from those of the lower lid in their greater
length. By reason of the feeble development of the vanes
they resemble filoplumes ; the outermost row performs the
function of eyelashes along both eyelids.
Circum-aural area (P\. I. fig. 1).—This is delimited by
a number of closely set stiff feathers forming the peri-
phery of the disc, and corresponding to the feathers of the
post-aural folds described by me in Asio accipitrinus (3).
It may be traced from the ramal area backwards, upwards,
and forwards, till it ultimately fuses with the loral area.
Immediately behind the eye it is joined by a broad band
from the ocular area. Distinct pre- and post-aural skin-
folds are wauting.
Ramal area.—This is partly occupied by the post-aural
section of the circum-aural area.
Inter-ramal area.—This is filled by a truncated-conical
patch of feathers lying between the symphysis of the man-
dible and the convergent limbs of the circum-aural dise-
38 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the
feathers, which may be said to meet below the jaw at this
point.
The facial dise is formed by the feathers of the loral and
post-aural section of the circum-aural area.
Pt. colli dorsalis (text-fig. 3).—This is a densely feathered
tract not closely investing the neck, but throughout the
greater part of its length supported on a vertical fold of
skin, This fold serves to fill up the U-shaped curve formed
by the folding of the neck on the body in repose, whilst the
feather-tract forms a bridge across the top of the loop. The
tract is widest at its confluence with the pteryla capitis, and
passes insensibly backwards into the pt. spinalis.
Pt. spinalis (text-fig. 3).—It is not possible to draw a hard-
Text-fig, 3.
pe cedl ders
Dorsal aspect of Photodilus badius, showing the arrangement
of the pteryle.
par. =parapteron. pt.cr.=pteryla cruralis.
pt.caud,=pteryla caudalis. pt.sp.= 4, spinalis.
pt.coll.dors. =pteryla colli dorsalis, pt.hum.= ,, humeralis.
and-fast line between the upper end of this tract and the
pt. colli dorsalis. The interscapular and lumbar forks are
Pterylography of Photodilus. 39
both present. The arms of the former are conspicuous,
arising at the root of the neck, and terminating on a level
with the free end of the scapula. The arms of the latter
are feebly developed, and are represented only by a feeble
and ill-defined row of feathers, which, running up to join the
interscapular fork, enclose a space.
The stem of the lumbar fork is strong, and extends from
the convergence of the pre-acetabular ilia backwards to the
uropygium, in front of which it terminates in a long fork.
Pt. caude.—There are twelve rectrices.
Pt. colli ventralis (text-fig. 4). —This may be described as a
Text-fig. 4.
, 2
. s ‘
Seale Z
a : 4
aaaKs . Aol Pn Ieee
en” atin Rote Reed
ese
oars
= -. \ ———
SEA
1p eens NCS CAN IN
, . Wi
\\
Ventral aspect of Photodilus badius, showing the arrangement
of the pteryle.
pt.coll.vent.=pteryla colli ven- pt.cr,= » cruralis,
pt.cap.=pteryla capitis. | pt.vent.=pteryla ventralis.
tr.= trachea.
tralis.
40 ’ Mr. W. P. Pyeraft on the
backward continuation of the inter-ramal tract. Near the
middle of the neck it forks to accommodate the U-shaped
neck, the branches passing, one on either side of the curve,
to terminate on the pt. ventralis.
Pt. ventralis (text-figs. 4 & 5, pp. 39 & 41).—This tract in
its general features recalls that of the Nyctaline. The outer
branch of the two rows of feathers is distinct, and runs out-
ward from a little below the summit of the shoulder to the
free edge of the patagium. The middle and inner branches
divide near the upper third of the furcula, at the point where
the inner branch is joined by the pé. colli ventralis. The
middle branch is quite distinct, and runs downwards as far
as the posterior } of the sternum. At a point corresponding
with a line drawn across the middle of the sternum this
branch gives off the characteristic “hook,” which turns
abruptly upwards, forwards, and outwards on the hypopteron.
The area between the hook and its stem is sparsely covered
with semiplumous feathers. The inner, in common with the
middle, branch arises at the summit of the shoulder, the two
branches being given off at the point of contact with the
pt. coll ventralis: from this point backwards the inner branch
runs, first slightly inwards and downwards towards the carina,
then slightly upwards till the right and left tracts are divided
by nearly the whole width of the sternal plate; from this
point backwards they slowly converge again to terminate in
a line with the pubic extremities, but some distance from
the cloaca (see text-fig. 4, p. 39).
Pt. femoralis (text-fig. 5, p. 41).—This tract is ill defined
and small in extent. The feathers of which it is composed
are semiplumous in nature. The femoro-crural band is,
however, very distinct, the crural portion terminating some
distance below the knee-joint.
Pt. cruralis.—This tract is well defined and invests the
whole leg. It is continued downwards over the acrotarsium,
and, feebly, in the shape of a few bristles, to the acro-
podium. ‘The planta is feathered.
Pt. alaris (text-fig. 6, p. 42).
Metacarpo-digitals (primaries) 10; 6th longest (reckoning
Pterylography of Photodilus. 4]
from within outwards). Vanes neither serrated nor emar-
ginated. The remicle, or reduced 11th remex, is entirely
Lateral aspect of Photodilus badius, showing the arrangement
p g 8
of the pteryle.
pt.fem. =pteryla femoralis.
u.=uropygium. Other letters as before.
wanting. The 8th, 9th, and 10th form a series of pro-
gressively shorter feathers, so that the wing has a con-
spicuously rounded appearance. Secondaries 13, the
4.2 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the
innermost (18th) scarcely distinguishable from its major
covert. The wing is diastataxic.
The carpal covert (text-fig. 4, p. 39) is large, and directed
forward so that the distal end crosses over the shafts of
primaries 1-2,
The carpal remex is much smaller than its covert, but
has preserved its pennaceous character.
Text-fig. 6.
NN
SSSR
>
‘ SSS
~
Dorsal aspect of left wing of Photodilus badius, to show the
contour when extended.
¢.c.= carpal covert.
3, 2, 1 show the first three primaries.
1, 2,8 é 4 secondaries.
Tectrices :—
T. majores.—The major coverts of the dorsal surface ot
the manus are small. It is extremely interesting to note
that the covert of the 10th remex has taken on the characters
of a quill—the remicle—being longer than the coverts
proximad. Its pattern of coloration differs from that of
the remaining coverts of the row; but in this particular it
resembles its remex, which differs from the other remiges in
having the outer web conspicuously barred with black and
chestnut on a white ground.
The dorsal major coverts of the secondary remiges are of
Pterylography of Photodilus. 43
uniform length throughout, save only the 6th covert, which
is distinctly shorter than the 5th and 7th.
The major coverts of the ventral surface are small, and
gradually decrease in length from without inwards. The
reverse is the case in Asio, to take an example.
T. medie.—On the dorsal surface of the manus this row
commences at the 2nd metacarpal remex. On the ventral sur-
face of the manus this row of feathers terminates at the base
of the 4th remex, not the 6th, as in Asio. On the forearm
they are fairly long, and not concealed by the minor coverts.
T. minores.—On the dorsal surface these coverts are
wanting on the manus. There appear to be three cubital
rows. On the ventral surface of the manus the first row
replaces the ¢. medie after the 5th metacarpal remex. There
appear to be but two complete rows. Distad of the 2nd or
more preaxial row, the wing-surface is but sparsely clothed
by small semiplumous coverts belonging to this series.
T. marginales.—On the dorsal surface there are two rows
running along the preaxial border of the manus. The
greater part of the surface of the patagium is clothed by
some four or five rows. The preaxial patagial border is
clothed by a closely set band of these feathers which runs
inwards to join the pt. humeralis.
On the ventral surface these feathers are small and semi-
plumous; the postaxial row overlap the ¢. minores, whilst
the feathers of the preaxial border are very closely set and
directed outwards, to form, with those of the dorsal aspect,
a clean patagial edge.
Parapteron.—This is made up of about 8 rows, or rather
bundles, of three feathers in each bundle. The distal
bundles pass gently into the feathering of the forearm, the
proximal into the pt. humeralis.
Hypopteron—tThe hypopteron is represented only by a few
weak semiplumous feathers, which form but a single row,
running along the biceps muscle and merging proximally
with the median branch of the pt. ventralis.
Ala spuria.—Four strong feathers take part in the forma-
tion of the ala spuria.
44, Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the
The distribution of the coverts of the dorsal aspect of the
wing agrees with that in other Owls; they form obliquely
transverse rows sloping from without inwards instead of
being arranged in quincunx.
The rounded form of the expanded wing shews this bird
to be a wood-haunting species.
Semiplume, Plume, and Filoplume :—
All these agree in their general distribution with what
obtains in Owls generally.
Podotheca.—Clothed with feathers down to the acro-
podium, which is invested with reticulated scales, among
which filoplume-like feathers are scattered.
Claws.—There are no claws on the wing: those of the
foot are large, rounded, and curved. The mesial border of
the claw of the third digit is produced into a flat, cutting,
and slightly serrated edge.
Uropygium napiform, and not tufted.
Apteria :—
Apterium capitis (Pl. IL. fig. 3).—The apteria of the head
are represented by the bare spaces surrounding the eyelids,
the spaces on the sclerotic ring of the eye, and a very broad
conspicuous space extending on either side of the head from
the apt. colli laterale, and terminating on the crown of the
head above the middle of the eye.
Apt. colli laterale-—Traced from the base of the neck this
may be followed forwards to the symphysis of the lower jaw,
and upwards to the region of the middle of the eye.
Apt. trunci laterale, spinale, mesogastrei, crurale, and ale
superioris and inferioris do not differ materially from those
of Asio, and may be studied in the accompanying figures.
II. Description of the external Ear.
As will be seen by the figures (Pl. II. figs. 1-3), the
aperture of the ear (a.e.) is small, oval in outline, and
markedly asymmetrical with regard to the aperture on the
opposite side of the head.
On the right side (Pl. II. fig. 2) this aperture lies
Pterylography of Photodilus. 45
immediately above the articulation of the mandible with the
quadrate, its long axis pointing obliquely backwards. It
leads into a spacious chamber extending upwards and back-
wards for a considerable distance. The passage to the middle
ear lies at the bottom of this chamber.
Immediately above the mouth of the external ear lies a deep
fossa(f.). This fossa is entirely open laterally, but is bounded
in front by the eye, behind by the post-aural section of the
peripheral disc-feathers, above by the base of the post-orbital
process, and below by a thin fold of skin, which serves also
as the roof of the external aperture of the ear (see Pl. II.
fig. 2). It appears to correspond to the diverticulum of
Asio accipitrinus.
On the left side (Pl. II. fig. 1) the aural aperture will be
found to occupy a position exactly corresponding to the
position of the diverticulum of the right side, whilst the latter
is represented by a very shallow trough or groove lying im-
mediately below the aural aperture. The superior angle of
the mouth of this aperture will be found to lie on a level with
a Jine drawn backwards and very slightly downwards from the
posterior canthus of the eyelid, whilst its long axis is nearly
at right angles to the long axis of the skull. The extension
upwards and backwards of the aural chamber is much less
than in its fellow of the opposite side. The chamber, indeed,
on this left side leads almost directly downwards to the
tympanum.
If a comparison be made between the apertures of the ears
of Photodilus and of Asio, a point of considerable interest
and of not a little significance, will at once become apparent.
This is that the relation between the diverticulum and the
aperture on the two sides of the head is the same in
both genera. ‘That is to say, in both genera the diverti-
culum will be found above the aperture on the right side,
below it on the left. This suggests that the fold of skin
which divides the diverticulum from the aural aperture on
the two sides of the head in Photodilus is the homologue of
that more extensive fold performing the same office and
running from the operculum backwards in Ofus,
46 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the
III. Summary of Conclusions.
Judged by pterylological characters alone, the position of
Photodilus, in the scheme proposed in my earlier paper,
seems to be most naturally along with the genera which
make up the subfamily Asioninz, among which it stands as a
somewhat aberrant genus with leanings towards Asio. The
general conformation of the external ear is quite different
from that of any other Owl, but, externally, it may possibly
be regarded as more nearly like that of Asio than that of any
other genus, It is, indeed, possible that the external ear of
Photodilus approximately represents the primitive stage from
which the complex external ear of Asio has been derived.
The voluminous post-aural fold of the latter may very well
have arisen by the development of a fold of skin such as that
which supports the peripheral disc-feathers of Photodilus ;
but it is not easy to see how the operculum can have arisen.
It may be remarked, however, that even in the nearly ripe
embryo of Asio there is no suggestion either of the post-
aural fold or of the operculum.
In Photodilus, as will be seen in Pl. II. figs. 1, 2, there
is little or nothing apparent which could give rise to such a
fold. It is possible, of course, that the operculum had its
origin in a raised fold such as that which forms the anterior
boundary of the auditory aperture in Photodilus. If we
assume this to be so, then it is possible that the membranous
rim bounding the aperture superiorly represents the mem-
branous fold which in Asio runs from the post-aural fold to
the operculum and divides the “‘cavernum”’ into upper and
lower moieties. The transformation in the skull necessary
to convert the aural region of a bird like Photodilus into
that of Asio is not great, inasmuch as it could be accom-
plished by the shifting forwards and reduction of the post-
orbital progess and the vertical extension ot the bony
“ cavernum.
In the general pterylosis of the body, Photodilus perhaps
comes nearest to Asio*. It differs therefrom in the
* There is nothing whatever in the pterylosis of this bird which in any
way resembles that of Sériz. Nitzsch, as Beddard has pointed out, seems
to haye imagined that a resemblance of the kind existed.
Pterylography of Photodilus. 47
narrower median branch of the pt. ventralis and in the
extension upwards to the crown of the head of the apt.
trunci laterale. In the latter respect it agrees with Budo
maculosus.
I do not propose to enter further upon the discussion of
the question of the systematic position of Photodilus at the
present time, as I hope to return to this subject in a future
paper, wherein the osteology and the anatomy of the soft
parts will be dealt with, together with a general summary of
the literature of the subject. I will only remark that, as
Beddard has already conclusively shown, Photodilus is not a
near ally of Strix, as has been contended on more than one
occasion.
IV. Revised Key to the Subfamilies and Genera of the
Family Asionide.
The remarkable character of the external ear of Photodilus
has rendered necessary a slight revision of the first portion
of the “Key to the Families, Subfamilies, and Genera”
given in my former paper (3).
The revised portion stands as follows :—
A. The median branch of the ventral tract free posteriorly ;
the feathers of the hinder border of the acrotarsium
directed downwards; no filoplumes at the end of
theo -olands airar Aseria ad ont, selseeiter. Shes I. AsIonip#.
a. Interscapular region of pt. spinalis with a long
PIE CRGLOTE rais.. nie a ats | xida/sroceale asic) shel Subfamily 1. Astonine.
a’. Membranous aperture of ear of great size, ex-
tending from gape backwards, upwards, and
forwards to terminate above the middle of eye ;
aperture covered with a large operculum and
divided into upper and lower moieties by a
Hoshy, folds, Sc/2: wcthatesa aah oo ca ea eae Asio,
6’, Membranous aperture of ear large, but its vertical
axis not exceeding the horizontal axis of the
eyelid; aperture closed by a large operculum
and not divided by a fleshy fold............ Syrnium.
c’. Membranous aperture of ear small, oval, that of
right side bounded above, and that of left side
below, by a deep crescentic channel ; aperture
not closed by ar. operculum................ Photodilus.
48 On the Pterylography of Photodilus.
d'. Membranous aperture of ear variable in size, but
its vertical axis never exceeding the horizontal
axis of the eyelid; aperture not closed by an
operculum.
a''. Oil-gland conical ; cere not inflated, but closely
investing the base of the beak; posterior
half the height of the anterior division of
thera vennnmn Mente nirak sh ish senoee ne wae Bubo.
b". Cere laterally inflated ; anterior and posterior
divisions of the cavernum of equal height.. Scops.
Ninoxr,
Sceloglaux,
V. Titles of the Papers referred to.
1. Bepparn, F. E. On Photodilus badius, with Remarks
on its Systematic Position. Ibis, ser. 6, vol. ii. p. 239
1890.
2. Nirzscu. Pterylography. English Transl. 1866.
3. Pycrarrt, W. P. A Contribution towards our Knowledge
of the Morphology of the Owls. Trans. Linn. Soe.
2nd ser. Zool. vol. vii. 1898.
VI. EXPLANATION OF PLATE II.
Fig. 1. Left side view of the head of an adult Photodilus badius, to shew
the form of the external ear. This should be compared with fig. 2—
the right side of the same head—to shew the asymmetry of the two
sides,
a.e. = external aperture of ear.
a.c. = apterium capitis.
EH, =) eye!
J. = fossa—the deep trench below the aperture of the
ear.
pf. = the cut bases of the peripheral disc-feathers,
seated in a feebly developed postaural fold.
pt.coll.vent. = pteryla colli ventralis.
Fig. 2. Right side view of the same head. Letters as before.
Fig. 3. Back view of the same head, to shew the different levels of the
o
right and left external apertures of the ear and the form of the
apterium capitis.
rae, = right aperture of ear.
Ge lett ;
y) ”
at.coll, = pteryla colli dorsalis.
} pter)
pi.cap. =" 5, ‘capitis.
On the Birds of Lucknow. - 49
IV.—A List of the Birds of Lucknow. By Wit11aM Jesse,
M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Member of the Bombay Natural
History Society).—Part III.
[Continued from ‘ The Ibis,’ 1902, p. 566. ]
No. 972. Lropicus Manrattensis. Yellow-fronted Pied
Woodpecker.
Kutpurwa* [H.]. Small-caste Woodpecker [Martiniére
boys].
A fairly common and permanent resident, frequenting the
better-wooded parts of the district. Reid wrote :—“ It gene-
rally moves about in pairs, and breeds from February to
April in holes, artificially made, in decayed trees. I have
frequently found its nest, but could never get at the eggs.”
The only specimen that I possess was one of a clutch of three
taken by L. Jackson and two companions from a hole in the
rotten branch of a babool-tree. I was shown the nest about an
hour after the eggs had been taken. It was a small tunnel in
a horizontal branch, with a neat circular opening on the lower
side. The egg is glossy white, and measures °85" x °67".
No. 976. Iynerricus narpwickit. Indian Pigmy Wood-
pecker.
A fairly common and permanent resident. Reid wrote:—
“T have met with it singly, in pairs, and often in small
parties, generally in mango-groves. It keeps well to the
tops of trees, where it may be seen flying from branch to
branch, and even hopping about like a Sparrow from bough
to bough.
‘“*T found a nest of this species with two fresh eggs on the
24th of March. The nest was placed about eight feet from
the ground, in a horizontal and internally decayed (but not
hollow) bough of a mango-tree in a neglected garden in
the native city of Lucknow. The aperture, on the under
side of the bough, was about seven-eighths of an inch in
diameier, and gradually widened out to the egg-cavity about
ten inches away towards the trunk of the tree. The eggs
* Applied to all Woodpeckers and Barbets.
SER. VIII.—VOL, III. E
50 Mr. W. Jesse on the
were white and measured respectively *70/ x°53” and
Or S58”
No. 986. BracuyprerNus auvrantius. Golden-backed
Woodpecker.
Golden Woodpecker [Martiniére boys ].
A common and permanent resident, frequenting gardens,
avenues, and topes. Its shrill scream is a familiar sound
and is uttered as it flies. The bird is said to breed twice a
year—once in March and April, and again in the rains. I
have no proof of the second nesting-season. I have only
found the nest on two or three occasions—March 23rd and
April lst, with eggs; and late in May, with young. The college
boys apparently never get the eggs in the “ rains.” The nest-
hole may be excavated by the bird or may be a natural hollow.
On one occasion the eggs were laid in a hollow of a decayed
branch exposed to the sky, nevertheless the bird had cut a
hole on the under side, though it was quite unnecessary.
The eggs are, of course, pure glossy white, and are usually
three in number.
Average of 4 Lucknow eges .......... 99 <°77"
Measurement of largest egg ........00.. 1:05" x *80"
4S smallest egg .......... Of Xe lo-
No. 1003. Iynx torguitta. Common Wryneck.
Reid stated that this bird was fairly common during the
cold weather. I have only seen it on two or three occasions,
once in a mango-grove and again in some babool-trees pear
the river. Possibly it may be sometimes overlooked.
No. 1008. THrrroceryx zeyLonicus. Common Indian
Green Barbet.
Large-caste Woodpecker [Martiniére boys].
This bird is a permanent and common resident, particularly
where banian and pipal trees abound. It is rather a silent
bird during the cold weather, but on the approach of spring
recovers its voice and makes excellent use of it—the notes
being perhaps expressed by the syllables “ kotur, kotur, kotur,
koturuk, koturtk, koturak ”—until the iron enters into your
soul and you dream of murder.
Birds of Lucknow. ol
It breeds from March to May, making a hole in a decayed
tree, and usually laying four white eggs, which are glossless
and rather thin in the shell. The tree selected may be a
pipal, mango, babool, sheshum, or any that is sufficiently
decayed.
Average of 14 Lucknow eggs .......... 1-18" <-887
Measurement of largest egg............ TD ye89F
- smallest egy .......... 1 ae
No. 1019. XAaNTHOL@aMA H#MATOCEPHALA. Crimson-
breasted Barbet or Coppersmith.
Basunta [H.]. Small-caste Green Woodpecker [Anglo-
Indian boys].
The Crimson-breasted Barbet is a very common and per-
manent resident, inhabiting every grove and garden. Its
monotonous “ tonk, tonk, tonk,” like the stroke of a mailet
on a piece of copper, is one of our most familiar sounds. It
feeds, like the last species, on fruit and berries, and probably
on insects as well. It breeds from the end of February to
the beginning of June, but most eggs are to be got in March
and early April. It excavates its own nest-hole, like other
Barbets and Woodpeckers, in a decayed branch. The eggs
are three in number, glossless, white, and fragile.
Average of 15 Lucknow eggs .......... 92" x °66"
Measurement of largest egr ............ 97" x -70""
co
5 smallest egg ......2.0. STs Soy
No. 1022. Coracias tnpicus. Indian Roller.
Nilkant [H.]. Blue Jay [Anglo-Indian boys].
One of our commonest birds and a permanent resident.
It frequents by preference gardens, groves, and thickly
wooded places, but is common enough in the open fields, and
even on the bare maidans, It is very noisy, particularly
during the pairing-season. Its evolutions in the air are
familiar to everyone who has been in India, and the
screaming that goes on during the performance is anything
but soothing. It nests in holes of trees or buildings during
March, April, and May, laying four glossy white eggs. I
once, however, found five. Sometimes the hole is lined with
EQ
4
52 Mr. W. Jesse on the
grass, feathers, paper, &c., at other times the eggs are laid
on the bare wood. There seems to be no rule. This bird
is sacred to Shiva, but in Lucknow no special sanctity
seems to be attached to it.
Average of 12 Lucknow eggs ........ 127" 1-06"
Measurement of largest egy .......... 1:37" 1-06"
i smallest egg ........ 1:22" x 1-05"
No. 1024. *Coractas carrutus. Huropean Roller.
I shot a single specimen (adult ¢) on the 25th of October,
1899. The bird was. flying about a snipe-jheel, perching
on the dry clods amongst the rushes. The jheel was right
out in the centre of an “ usar” maidan surrounded by high
grass. The bird kept making darts into the air after insects,
returning immediately afterwards to its perch. Lt.-Col.
Thornhill tells me that he has come across this species in
Bareilly, and, shortly before his death, Mr. George Reid
wrote that he fancied that he had seen the European Roller
on one or two occasions, though he had never obtained a
specimen.
No. 1026. Merrors viripis. Common Indian Bee-eater.
Patana, Harrial [H.]. Mango-bird [ Anglo-Indian boys].
These pretty little Bee-eaters are very common and per-
manent residents, being found almost everywhere, in gardens,
fields, nullahs, and even on the open maidans. ‘They are very
fond of perching on the telegraph-wires along the railway, in
company with Rollers, King-Crows, Shrikes, and Doves. In
the evenings they are very fond of collecting together in
some dusty locality and taking a sand-bath. “ Their sand-
bath over, they usually take wing together, and, after
indulging in a few circular and other evolutions, during
which they keep up an incessant chattering, they separate
into small parties for the night.”” ‘They breed in holes, which
they excavate for themselves, in banks, mud-walls, nullahs,
hillocks, and similar places, in March, April, and May, but
chiefly in April. The usual clutch consists of 5 or 6
almost spherical alabaster-like eggs. These are laid on
Birds of Lucknow. 53
the bare ground, and I have never found lining of any
sort.
Average of 29 Lucknoweggs .......... Vie Ok 4
Measurement of largest ege .........,.. 83) K-70!"
= smallest ego oo ..cscese 10) X65."
No. 1027. Merrors puinippinus. Blue-tailed Bee-eater.
Large-caste Mango-bird [Martiniére boys].
By no means so common as the last bird, and very locally
distributed. It is very fond of water, and colonies occur
here and there on the banks of the Goomti. I found this
species breeding in a colony (May 12 and 19) in a railway-
cutting near Mulhaur station, about four miles from the
College. The nests were, of course, holes in the sand, and
from four to six feet in depth. The number of eggs (glossy
white and not so round as those of M. viridis) varied from
4 to 6.
Average of 16 Lucknow eggs .......... OE aS"
Measurement of largest egy ............ 96" x °81”
- smallestege ......ece: ‘So <4.
No. 1033. Ceryie varia. Indian Pied Kingfisher.
Kowrilla* [H.].
A very common and permanent resident. This Kingfisher
always hovers over the water when looking for fishes, and is
said never to plunge from a fixed perch. I once, however,
watched it diving into a jheel from an overhanging bank,
but this is the only instance which I can recollect of it
doing so.
It breeds in holes in the river-banks from January to the
end of April, but most eggs are found between February
15th and April bst. They are 4 to 6 in number, glossy
white, and oval; and are laid on the bare sand, which is
more or less mixed with tiny fish-bones.
Average of 10 Lucknow eggs .......... le x<o2,
Measurement of largest egg............ 1:22" x 94"
5 smallest egy .......... 1 a ears
No. 1035. Atcrepo tsprpa. Common Kingfisher.
The European Kingfisher is not very common, but a few
* Generally applied to all Kingfishers,
54 Mr. W. Jesse on the
individuals occur on the streams and rivers of the Division.
It must breed here, but I have never found the nest. I once
saw this bird hovering over the water before diving, after the
manner of Ceryle varia.
No. 1043. PeLarcopsis GuRiaL. Brown-headed Stork-
billed Kingfisher.
Badami Kowrilla [H.].
“The Brown-headed Kingfisher is by no means abundant
and never, I think, frequents water that is not well shaded
by trees. One that I shot, and, with an exception or two,
the only one which I have ever seen, was dodging about a tank
surrounded on all sides by dense bamboo-jungle. I know
nothing regarding the bird’s habits or nidification, and
cannot say whether it is a permanent resident or not. It
probably is.’—G. Revd.
I fancy that it is a mere straggler from the Bengal side.
I have never come across it.
No. 1044, Hancyon smyrnensis. White-breasted King-
Jisher.
Reid remarked that this Kingfisher was fairly abundant,
but, though not rare, I consider it to be far from common,
It is much less aquatic than the other Kingfishers, and is
often to be met with in mango-topes, where it doubtless
goes in search of insects. On most of the occasions when
I have seen it, my attention has been attracted by hearing its
characteristic scream as it was flymg from one grove to
another. No doubt it breeds in the Division, but I have
never found the nest.
* During the rainy season, and as long as there is water
in the side cuttings, it may be seen along the railways,
sitting occasionally on the telegraph wires or posts, but
usually on the babool-trees (planted as a line fence) over-
looking the pools. It does not dive for fishes—habitually,
at least; and though it may catch them occasionally, it
appears to depend more upon grasshoppers, &c. for food.””—
G. Reid.
Birds of Lucknow. 55
No. 1062. LopnHocrros sBrrostris. Common Grey Horn-
bill.
Chakotra [H.}.
The Common Grey Hornbill is very rarely seen in Lucknow
itself, but is fairly numerous in those parts of the Division
where pipal and other fig-trees—upon the fruit of which it
feeds—abound. It is generally found in pairs, or, at the
most, three or four together. I have never found its nest,
though it undoubtedly breeds in those localities where it
occurs.
No. 1066. Urura eprops. Huropean Hoopoe.
A cold-weather visitor only. This species and the next
are commonly found together.
No. 1067. Urura 1npica. Indian Hoopoe.
Hud-hud [H.].
The bird that occurs in Lucknow has almost always more
or less white on the crest, and I think that it is probably
a cross with U. epops. In the case of many skins I have
had considerable difficulty in assigning them to either species
with certainty. One bird, from under which I took four
eggs, had a considerable amount of white on the crest.
The breeding-season extends from the end of February to
about the end of April. The eggs are as many as seven, pale
glossless blue or unspotted brown. The nest is a shapeless
bundle of tow, rags, feathers, and similar materials, and is
invariably dirty and odoriferous, particularly after the young
are hatched. In one nest I found a dead Hoopoe worked
into the structure.
Average of 17 Lucknow eggs ........++ "D0. 60)
Measurement of largest egg ........5 TO 68"
= smallest egm .. fss.s.e 83" x ‘60
No. 1073. Cyrsretus arrinis. Common Indian Swift.
Ababil [H.]. House-Martin [ Martiniére boys].
The Indian Swift is very common all over the Division.
It breeds, I think, twice a year—at least I have taken eggs
from March to July, and Reid took them in February and
August. ‘The nests are saucers, having the edge glued to
56 Mr. W. Jesse on the
the roof of some hall or outhouse. Often inside great gate-
ways and such places numbers will be found cemented
together. The materials are feathers, straw, &c., worked
into a parchment-like substance by means of saliva. Eggs
two, rarely three, pure white and elongated.
Average of 12 Lucknow eggs .......... "86" x 56"
Measurement of largest eg@ ..........05 *90" X°57"
- smallest egg .......... "84" x 54"
No. 1075. Tacuornis BaTAsstEnsis. Palm-Swift.
This Swift is almost entirely confined to localities where
the toddy-palm is found. In the leaves of the palm the bird
breeds, but I have not as yet taken the eggs.
No. 1091. Caprimuteus asiaticus. Common Indian
Nightjar.
I have not often come across this bird. ‘The Common
Indian Nightjar is by no means so abundant here as C. albo-
notatus (C. macrurus). Indeed, I have rarely or never seen
it, except when the ‘ shades of evening’ have so far advanced
as to render shooting it next to impossible. It feeds, I think
wy preference, on the mud by the water’s edge, where I have
often, when waiting for Geese, seen it flitting actively
about.” —G. Reid.
No. 1093. Carrimuteus macrurus. Horsfield’s Nightjar.
“The Large Indian Nightjar is fairly common and a
permanent resident. As many as twenty may at times be
flushed in some favourite spot, but, as a rule, it is found
- singly or in pairs, generally in thick brushwood under the
shade of the trees, while it is also very partial to bamboo-
brakes and thick dhak-jungle. When flushed it usually flies
but a short distance and squats again, either on the ground
or on the low and spacious arm of some tree. Occasionally
it may be found resting during the day high up in thick
bamboos, and in clumps of these it probably breeds, though
I have never found its nest. But, in whatever tangled
thickets it may rest for the day, it sallies forth at dusk to
fields and open glades, where it may be seen flying noise-
lessly along, or feeding and shuffling about with great
Birds of Lucknow. 57
activity on the ground, changing the scene of its operations
every minute or so, while at intervals its familiar call—
chuk, chuk, chuk,—slowly and monotonously repeated,
‘is a welcome and pleasing addition’ to the ‘voices of the
night.’ ””—G. Reid. I have nothing further to add beyond
that I have not found the bird nearly so common as Reid
seems to have done.
No. 1104. Cucunus canorus. Cuckoo.
I have never met with the European Cuckoo in Lucknow,
though the Rev. Harry Menzies, the Civil Chaplain, on one
occasion told me that he had heard it at the beginning of
the hot weather. The late George Reid came across it on
two occasions—once amidst the ruins of the Bailey Guard
in the Residency grounds, apparently in the spring, and
again on the 29th of May, at a spot two miles to the north
of the city.
No. 1105. *Cucutus saturatus. Himalayan Cuckoo.
In the “Birds” of the ‘Fauna of British India’ this
species is recorded as having ‘ been shot in the cold season
at Lucknow.” Beyond this I can find no other instance
of its having occurred here.
[?] No. 1107. *“Cucunus microrrerus. Indian Cuckoo.
In the early spring of 1895 I shot a bird in the Martiniere
College park, which at the time I identified with the present
species. Unfortunately the skin has been lost, and as I was
only just commencing the study of Indian birds, and, further-
more, as I have never come across it again, I mark it with a
query.
No. 1109. Hrerococcyx varius. Common Hawk-Cuckoo.
Popiya [H.]. Brain-fever Bird [Anglo-Indian boys].
I think that the Common Hawk-Cuckoo remains all the
year round, but of this I am not quite sure. It commences
its delightful (?) call early in January and stops it at the
beginning of the cold weather. On March 23, 1896, I found
an egg, which I am morally certain belonged to this bird, in
the nest of Argya malcolmi.
58 Mr. W. Jesse on the
[?] No. 1112. Cacomanris passerinus. Indian Plaintive
Cuckoo.
I doubt if this bird occurs in Lucknow. Reid apparently
never got it. Mr. Adam, as Reid remarked, appeared to
imply that the bird not only occurred, but bred there—vide
Hume’s ‘ Nests and Eggs,’ Ist edition, p. 187; but it seems
almost certain that a mistake has been made.
No. 1118. Coccystrs sacopinus. Pied Crested Cuckoo.
Popiya, Kala Popiya[H.]. Shah-Bulbul [ Martiniére boys].
Reid seemed to imagine that this bird occurred throughout
the year. It may do so, but, if it does, it is strange that
so striking an object shouid have escaped my eye year by
year from October to May. I cannot recollect ever seeing
it until the beginning of June, or after September, except
once—in November 1901. It lays its round glossy blue
eggs in Babblers’ nests, but, though they have been shown
to me, I have never taken them myself.
No. 1120. Evpynamis Honorata. Indian Koel.
Koil, Koéli [H.]. Quailie [ Anglo-Indian boys]. *
According to Reid the Koel is a permanent resident, but I
fancy that it migrates, at any rate to a very great extent, in the
cold weather. “ It feeds principally on fruit, being very fond
of the small berries of the banian and other Fici” (Reid).
As the same authority has remarked, more than one male
may be seen chasing a female, from which it may be inferred
that they do not pair. In some parts of India this bird
is called the Brain-fever Bird, a name much more rightly
bestowed on Hierococcyx varius. The Koel lays its eggs in
the nest of Corvus splendens, and possibly at times in that of
C. macrorhynchus. June and July are the months for eggs.
I have found 2 Koel’s and no Crow’s eggs in a nest, 3 Crow’s
and 2 Koel’s, 4 Crow’s and 1 Koel’s, and so on. Reid
records 1 Koel’s and no Crow’s (3 times), 1 hard-set Crow’s
and 2 Koel’s, 3 hard-set Crow’s and 1 Koel’s, 1 fresh Crow’s
and 3 Koel’s. Reid argued that this went to prove that the
female Koel ejected the Crow’s eggs from the nest while
depositing her own. I have an open mind on the subject,
Birds of Lucknow. 59
but I have never found broken eggs underneath a nest from
which Koel’s eggs have been taken.
**T may also add that at Chinhut, on the 25th of August, I
saw a Crow feeding a young Koel. The youngster, to attract
the attention of the Crow, occasionally indulged in a con-
tinuous ‘ cawing,’ for all the world like a young Crow. It was
fully fledged, and flew from tree to tree after its foster parents.
On another and more recent oceasion, I saw a batch of three
young Koels being led about and fed by a pair of Crows, the
young birds making very fair attempts to ‘ caw.’ ”—G. Reid.
Average of 11 Lucknow eggs .......... 1°18" x 89”
Measurement of largest ege ............ 1:28 <-94"
a smallest egg ........ 114° x86"
189
No. 1129. Taccocua LescHenautti. Sirkeer Cuckoo.
Brown-bird | Martiniére boys].
The Sirkeer Cuckoo is a permanent resident, and, though
not numerically abundant, is fairly common. It is most
frequently met with in dhak-jungle in which there is a good
deal of grass and undergrowth, through which it runs
almost exactly like a huge rat or mungoose. It also occurs
in mango-topes, and in these I have taken its nest, as well
as in babool-trees. The breeding-season commences in
April, or possibly earlier, and lasts until August. Most of
my eggs have been taken in July. The nest is a rough cup of
sticks lined with green leaves, sometimes large and deep, at
other times little better than a platform. The full clutch is
three, or sometimes four, white eggs with a chalky covering.
Average of 7 Lucknow eggs ............ 1°43" x 1:09”
Measurement of largest egy ..........6. 1487 Xx E10"
As smallest egg .......... 37" Xx 1:03"
No. 1180. Cenrrorus stnensis. Common Coucal.
Mohok [H.]. Crow-Pheasant or Mohawk [Anglo-Indian
boys].
The Crow-Pheasant, with its rich black and chestnut
plumage, and its sonorous “ hoop, hoop, hoop,” is a common
and permanent resident. It mhabits groves, dhak-jungle,
60 Mr. W. Jesse on the
bamboo-brakes, and patowal grass, and is usually seen not
far from water. It breeds in June, July, and August, or
possibly later, making a huge globular nest of sticks, grass,
and leaves, with a hole at the side, which is placed in some
thick tree or in long patcwal grass. The eggs, usually
four in number and chalky white (more spherical than
those of the Sirkeer Cuckoo), get discoloured as incubation
proceeds. Possibly this bird and 7. leschenaulti have two
broods in the year. At any rate, Reid found very young
birds of both species as late as November. I think myself,
however, that these were the produce of abnormally late
nests.
Average of 15 Lucknow eggs .........- 1:38" x 1:14”
Measurement of largest egg ........06.. Wal x7”
ss smiallesteeo” .%\.i cates a ‘of x20
No. 1136. Pat#ornis rnpopurmanicus. Large Burmese
Paroquet.
Pahari tota [H.].
Reid has noticed this bird as appearing in flocks for a few
weeks during August and September. Undoubtedly a large
Paroquet does arrive at that time and is caught by the
chirri-mars, but, as I am always away during the two months
in question, I have never myself obtained it. I have none
of Reid’s skins with me in England, but I cannot help
thinking that they are more likely to belong to P. nipalensis.
No. 1138. Patmornis torquatus. Rose-ringed Paroquet.
Tota [H.]. Parrot [Anglo-Indian boys].
A common and permanent resident, doing considerable
damage to wheat and other crops. Large numbers have,
however, been captured during the last few years to meet
the demand of the millinery market in England, and in some
parts of the Division I am told that it has been almost
exterminated. March is the chief month for eggs, but the
birds begin to lay in February and a few as late as April. I
have, curiously, not found many nests, and those that I have
met with have always contained young or eggs just hatching.
The hole is cut by the bird, and the white eggs, four in
number, as a rule, are laid on the bare wood. Reid gives
Birds of Lucknow. 61
jamin-trees the preference, but I have found them in neem,
sheshum, mango, and pipal.
Average of 11 Lucknow eggs .......... Lge ony
Measurement of largest egg ..........+. 1:24" x98"
4 smallest 66 seca 1:14” x 90"
No. 1139. Patawornis cyanocreruatus. Western Blossom-
headed Paroquet.
Lalsira-Tota [H.].
A permanent resident, but not nearly so numerous as
P. torquatus. It is more abundant in the “rains,” from
which I fancy that it must be locally migratory. I have
never taken the eggs, but Reid got four fresh specimens in a
pipal-tree on the 15th of April which averaged -98" x -80".
The cry of this bird is less harsh and far more pleasing than
that of P. torquatus.
No. 1152. Srrix rramMeEa. Barn-Owl.
UNG os Be tile
Fairly common in the old buildings and mosques in and
round Lucknow. It breeds, I know, in Dilkusha and in the
Kaisor-bagh, but I have never been able to get at the nests.
No. 1153. Srrix canpipa. Grass-Owl.
“Qn one occasion I flushed a solitary Owl, which I took
to be the Grass-Owl, in grass- and scrub-jungle near Rahima-
bad, but, though I followed it from place to place, the Crows
kept bothering it, so that it never rested in one spot long
enough to allow me to get a shot. Capt. Irby mentions it
under the name of Glaux javanica, and I have little doubt
that it occurs, though sparingly, in suitable localities—for
instance, in the jungles about the Chowka and Gogra, where
Mr. Anderson seems to have met with it (see ‘Stray
Feathers,’ vol. 1. p. 838).”—G. Reid.
~+— No. 1157. Asio accipirrinus. Short-eared Owl.
The Short-eared Owl is, of course, only a cold-weather
visitor, but is then very common in certain localities. It
appears to prefer dhak- and grass-jungle, but I have often
flushed it in gram-fields. It is gregarious, often as many
* Commonly applied to all Owls.
62 Mr. W. Jesse on the
as eight or ten being found together. It seems less troubled
by light than most Owls, and flies well even in broad
daylight.
No. 1161. Syrnrum oceniatum. Mottled Wood-Owl.
Khuska (?) [H.].
The Mottled Wood-Owl is not common, but every now
and then one comes across it, singly or in pairs. I have
only found it in mango-groves. It is a permanent resident,
but I have not found the nest.
No. 1164. Krrupa zeytonensts. Brown Fish-Ovl.
Ghughu* [H.].
The Brown Fish-Owl is not very common. I once found
its nest—an old hole at the top of a pipal-tree, containing
one young bird—about New Year’s day near a big jheel in
the Rae Bareli district. In the nest were the remains of a
dead Teal, probably a wounded bird.
No. 1168. Buzso Bencatensts. Rock Horned Owl.
A fairly common bird in suitable places, particularly
ravines and nullahs. It breeds here, and eggs have been
brought to me belonging either to this or to the next species,
but I have never got the nest myself.
No. 1169. Buso coromannus. Dusky Horned Owl.
A fairly common and permanent resident, frequenting
mango-topes and, according to Reid, having a special pre-
ference for big tamarind-trees. All these large Owls fly
comparatively well during the day, and sometimes two or three
may be aroused at the same time, when they never seem to
have any difficulty in making their way through the trees.
On one occasion Reid found quite a collection of these three
species of Owls inhabiting some pipal- and tamarind-trees
in a dense bamboo-clump, which had once apparently been a
fort, but had since become a jungle. The natives believe
that the hooting of this Owl round a dwelling foretells death
to one of the inhabitants.
* Applied to all the bigger Owls.
Birds of Lucknow. 63
No. 1173. Scors e1u. Scops Owl.
Not very numerous, but possibly this Owl, which hides
a great deal, is often overlooked. I have never found the
nest, but I have been told by Martiniére boys that its eggs,
or more probably those of the next species, are occasionally
taken.
No. 1178. Scors BakkamMa@na. Collared Scops Owl.
This pretty little Owl is, I think, a permanent resident,
and is perhaps commoner than it seems. It appears very
stupid and difficult to flush in the daylight. I once stood
and looked right into the face of one of these Owls for some
moments. It was perched on a branch of a tree about two feet
from my nose, but never flew away, and I left it sitting.
I have never found the nest, but the eggs to which I have
referred above probably belonged to this species.
The Striated Scops Owl (Scops brucit) has been recorded
from Sultanpur just beyond our borders. Vide vol. iii. (Birds)
of the ‘ Fauna of British India,’ p. 294.
No. 1180. ArHENE BRAMA. Spotted Owlet.
Khukusat, Kasuttea (teste Reid), Ulu [H.].
This little Owl is very common and a perfect nuisance on
a moonlight night in the breeding-season. It keeps up a
succession of street-fights, and the squabblings and screechings
are worse than those of a whole parish of cats collected in
one back area. It breeds in holes of trees—mangos, per-
haps, for preference—in March and April, laying four round
white eggs. Sometimes the hole is unlined, but usually I
think there is more or less of a lining of grass, feathers, or
leaves.
Average of 19 Lucknow eggs .......... 1:25” x 1:04”
.Q4are 9"
Measurement of largest egg .......... Pea" xt2
1:50” x 1:02”
fs smallest ego sco. = ecreate 1:14" x 1-00”
No. 1184. Guaucipium rapiarum. Jungle Owlet.
Kalakasut | H., ¢este Reid].
According to Reid this is a very common bird, but I have
hardly ever met with it. As it is a terrible skulker, it is
64. Mr. W. Jesse on the
probably constantly overlooked ; but, even then, it is strange
that out of the numbers of holes in which I have searched
for, and found, nests of A. drama, I have never come across
that of G. radiatum. Yet Reid seems to have found a pair,
or more, in almost every mango-grove.
No. 1187. Nrvox scurutata. Brown Hawk-Owl.
This is another Owl which is “ common and a permanent
resident,” according to Reid, but which I have only come
across once or twice at most. It is, however, quite
nocturnal in its habits, and probably requires to be specially
looked for. One that Reid shot cried like a hare. I have
never found its nest, nor do I know anything of its breeding
with us.
No. 1189. Panpion HALIaETus. Osprey.
Machariya; Machi-mar [H.].
The Osprey, though not numerous, is usually to be seen
on every large jheel, and Reid stated that it was common
on the big rivers. It departs at the approach of hot weather.
On one occasion I owed my evening meal to this bird. A
party of us were staying at Milkipur, near Fyzabad, for the
usual Christmas “shoot.” ‘Two of us, with our host, Mr. A.
C. Bryson, of the Opium Department, went away early in
the morning to inspect a big jheel some five miles off, but
the fourth, Mr. A. E. Pierpoint, remained behind at the
camp to write letters. By tiffin time these were finished,
and, having nothing to do, he picked up his gun and strolled
~ off to a jheel about half a mile away.
The Duck and Teal kept well out of shot in the centre,
and, having no boat, he was unable to get on terms, and so
stood watching them. Suddenly an Osprey came sailing
over the water, and, making a plunge, rose with a “rohu ”
some 2 lbs. or more in weight, which it proceeded to carry
off to a neighbouring tree. In doing so it passed Pierpoint,
who shot it, and bore the fish home in triumph. Need-
less to say we were totally unable to guess how he had
come by his scaly prey, when he asked us the question that
night at dinner.
Birds of Lucknow. 65
No. 1190. Vuttur monacnus. Cinereous Vulture.
A specimen was shot many years ago at Ajgaen near
Unao, and isin the Lucknow Museum, My frend, Major A.
Newnham, I.S.C., Cantonment Magistrate, Lucknow, writes
to me that, in the spring of this year (1902), he shot one of
these birds on the Grass Farm. Beyond these two instances,
I can find no record of occurrence here.
No. 1191. Oroayrs catvus. Black Vulture.
Lat-sir Gidh* [H.]. King or Red-headed Vulture
[Europeans and Anglo-Indians}.
Widely spread over the Division, but not in great numbers.
““Wheresoever the carcase is, thither will the Eagles | Vul-
tures] be gathered together,’ and amongst the wrangling
crew there is sure to be one, if not two, of these fine birds.
Often I have been watching the vulgar white-backed herd,
with a disreputable following of Kites and Crows, tearing
and fighting over a body, when one of these aristocrats, in
his red cap, black coat, and white waistcoat, has made his
appearance. Way is immediately made for him, the plebeian
herd slinking back as if ashamed or afraid, and I can never
recollect the last comer ever being obliged to assert his
authority.
The breeding-season appears to be in February and March,
though it is possibly earlier. I have found nests on several
occasions, but, whether it has been merely bad luck or not,
those that I have found were either most dangerously placed
orempty. ‘To one, at the end of a bare branch of a lofty
pepul, my boy-friend Green offered to climb, but I refused
to allow him. The next day the ege was abstracted by
a daring rival. My shikari Dwarka brought me a very
hard-set Vulture’s egg from Nilgaum, near <Ataria, on
Dec. 6, 1900. He declared that he saw the bird on the
nest before climbing the tree, and, as I have never caught
him deceiving me about an egg, I am disposed to pass the
fact, though I must own that the date is exceptionally early
for Oudh. This, like all Vultures’ eggs, is dirty white, with
* “Gidh” is applied to all Vultures.
SER. ViIlI0.——VOL. II. r
66 Mr. W. Jesse on the
a few very faint mauve and reddish markings, and measures
3°16" x 2°56".
No. 1194. Gyps rwpicus. Indian Long-billed Vulture.
Reid, in his ‘ Birds of the Lucknow Civil Division,’ has
written as follows :—
“JT include the Long-billed Brown Vulture with some
hesitation, though Capt. Irby, in his paper on the Birds of
Oudh and Kumaon, vide ‘The Ibis,’ vol. 11. 1861, p. 217,
states that it is just as common as Pseudogyps bengalensis ;
and that one was ‘ caught inside a horse’s belly at Alumbagh.’
Now there is no Vulture here as commonas P. bengalensis ; if
there is, it is certainly singular that I have not obtained
specimens. On the other hand, I have occasionally seen a
Vulture that I thought could not be G. bengalensis, but
whether it was G. indicus or G. fulvescens-—not to mention
the probability of G. pallescens or G. tenuirostris occurring
—I cannot say, but should think that it was G. indicus.”
To this I have nothing to add, save to say that, hke Reid, I
have occasionally seen what I believe to have been G. indicus,
but, like him, I have not yet obtaimed a specimen.
No. 1196. Psrupocyrs BENGALENSIS. Indian White-
backed Vulture.
Chamar Gidh [H.].
This Vulture is very common and a permanent resident.
Though slow in rising from the ground, when once aloft it
sails like a majestic man-of-war. High up in the air, this
species and Ologyps calvus can be readily distinguished, as,
even if too far off to make out the white waistcoat, the
more pointed pinions of the latter serve to identify it. The
power of the Vulture’s beak and the rapidity with which
it feeds must be seen to be realized. On one occasion my
servants knocked over a mad jackal and did not quite kill
it. Immediately some Vultures made their appearance,
and, despite the fact that the poor brute was still alive,
commenced their horrid meal. The cries of the victim dis-
Birds of Lucknow, 67
turbed a friend and myself, who were indoors, and, on learning
the cause, we got a gun and put an end to its sufferings.
We then placed two chairs about fifty yards from the
jackal and timed the Vultures. At the end of an hour it
was too dark to see any longer, so we went to find out what
was left. The total remains were the shank of one fore leg
and a bit of skin about as big as the palm of one’s hand.
Beyond this not a vestige was to be seen, flesh, skin, bones,
everything had disappeared down the gullets of two voracious
Black and three White-backed Vultures, aided by the usual
rag-tag and bob-tail of Kites and Crows.
Pseudogyps bengalensis reeds chiefly in November and
December, most of the young being hatched by January.
Occasionally nests with eggs may be obtained both earlier
and later. I took one egg on March 11,1901. Where
there is one nest, there will usually be two or three
others at least—large bulky structures of sticks lined with
green leaves. I have found them on mango, tamarind,
pepul, neem, and sheshum trees, often at great heights
from the ground. Solitary nests are, I think, more often
on mango-trees, though there is no well-defined rule in the
matter. Both O. calvus and P. bengalensis often nest on
trees in the centre of villages, and, in my early days in
India, I once got seriously assaulted by villagers for trying to
examine one of these. In justice to myself, I may say it was
not altogether my fault, as I understood that there was
no objection, but, while my climbers were up the tree, the
onlookers suddenly rushed upon me. Seeing that they tried
to pull away my gun (which was loaded) by the muzzle, it was
providential that there was no accident.
Ouly one egg, of course, is laid, pure white asa rule when
fresh, but sometimes fairly spotted and freckled with red.
My second largest egg has quite a respectable crimson cap
at the broad end.
Average of 14 Lucknow eows ........ 3°26" 2:46"
Measurement of largest evo .......... 3°52" & 2°65"
smallest egg (abnormal), 2°54" x 2-00"
F2
3?
68 Mr. W. Jesse on the
No. 1197. Neopnron cineinranus. Small White Sca-
venger Vulture. |
Saféd Gidh, Kal Murgh [H.].. White Hawk [Martiniére
boys].
This eminently useful but exceedingly low-caste bird is
very common. To Thomas Atkins and his confréres it 1s
invariably known as the “ Shork,” the derivation of which
name hardly bears investigation. Its principal food is human
excrement, whence it gets the second native appellation.
The trenching-grounds, and all conservancy or slaughter-
quarters, are frequented by numbers of these birds. By the
uninitiated, the brown young and the white adult are looked
upon as distinct species. The breeding-season is from
March to May or possibly earlier. The nest, an evil-smelling
pile of rags, refuse, and filth of every description, is placed
either in a tree—mango, for choice—or on some building.
I have taken the eggs—two, or sometimes only one in
number—between the first two great arms éf a mango in
cantonments standing close by the carriage-road and not ten
feet from the ground; on the top of a native house in the
city; from the face of the United Service Club [Chutter
Munzil] ; and from what appeared to be the deserted nest
of Pseudogyps bengalensis in a solitary pepul-tree, as well as
in many other similar places. On the second occasion the
bird refuscd to budge from her charge and we had to poke
her off with a stick. The eggs are white in ground-colour,
but, as a rule, so thickly blotched with russet and red that
they are like huge Falcon’s. The colouring-matter easily
washes off, a fact to be remembered when cleaning handsome
specimens.
Average of 8 Lucknow eggs .......... 2:50" « 1:94"
Measurement of largest eae .......-.. 2°80" 2:20"
- smallestiego 2.6... 2 2:30" x 1°84"
No. 1201. Aquita HELIACA. Imperial Eagle.
Bara Jumiz*. Satangal [H., teste Reid]. Baz ft.
Not uncommon, especially in dhak-jungle studded here
* “ Jumiz” is applied to all large Eagles.
+ ‘‘ Baz” is applied indifteiently to Eagles, Kites (except I. govinda),
Harriers, and Falcons.
Birds of Lucknow. 69
and there with solitary pepul or banian trees. A few years
ago some Martinicre boys brought me the claws of an
individual of this species, which they had killed on their
cricket-ground. Major Newnham, I.8.C., shot a magnificent
specimen of the bird on the Bangla Bazar Tank, and since
then has noticed it fairly often. According to Reid, he has
found it on “the dry beds of jheels, devouring crabs .....
and on one or two occasions eating carrion.”
No. 1202. Aquita BrrascisTa. Steppe-Eagle.
The Bifasciated or Steppe- Eagle is not very common. Reid
shot a male on January Ist feeding on the carcase of a sheep,
so that it is a carrion-eater like A. heliaca, an example of
which was also shot when engaged on a similar repast. My
experieuce of Eagles forces me to the conclusion that the
majority are anything but the “ noble” birds described in
song and fable. Bonell’s and the Dwarf Eagle are sporting
gentlemen, but many of the bigger kinds are little better
than Vultures. One of these Eagles was captured alive
on a maidén close to the College by a little native boy,
who found it disabled:
These two species are apparently cold-weather visitors
only.
No. 1203. Aqurira vinputana. Indian Tawny Eagle.
Wokhab, Ragar, Baz [H.]. Lugger [Martiniére boys].
By far our commonest Eagle, and, of course, a permanent
resident. It is to be seen almost anywhere, and a pair
reared a young bird at the top of a “ cork”’-tree, not 200
yards from the United Service Club. I have found the
nest on several occasions. It is a large structure of sticks,
lined with grass or straw and a few feathers or leaves, and
placed at the very top of some high tree. Unlike J/iivus
govinda, this Eagle rarely chooses a thick fork, but prefers the
smaller branches at the summit. It is fond of babool-trees.
‘The eggs are two in number, but usually only one is hatched.
Most are to be found in December and January, but they
have been brought to me as late as the 15th of May.
On two occasions only have I found eggs myself, at other
70 Mr. W. Jesse on the
times I have always found young. Strangely, these two nests
each had that of a Chiruka [ Uroloncha malabarica] built
in the underneath part. One contained a grown-up family,
the Eagle’s nest having an addled egg; the other was oc-
cupied by the hen Chiruka, sitting on three eggs, while the
Eagle was covering two, not three inches higher. Both
these nests were in babool-trees. In colour the eggs are
dirty white, rarely much spotted, but usually with a few
specks of red and brown. After being blown, when held up
against the light they have a greenish tint.
Average of 6 Lucknow eggs.......... 2°53” x 2:02”
Measurement of largest ege .......... 2°60" x 2:07"
x smallest ege ........ 2°41’ x 2:00"
No. 1204. Aquita Futvescens. Brooks’s Eagle.
A specimen of this species—if it be a real species—is
recorded by Mr. A. O. Hume from Lucknow (vide note,
initialled A. O. H., in Reid’s paper in ‘ Stray Feathers’).
No. 1205. Aquita Macutata. Large Spotted Eagle.
This Eagle appears to be fairly common, but I know little
about it. I fancy that it is a permanent resident and breeds
here, as I have an egg, taken on June 16, 1901, by H. M.
Braybrooke, which I think can only belong to this bird. Un-
fortunately I was not told of it until too late, and so could not
go to get the parent while sitting on the nest. The egg is
white, fairly thickly spotted with purplish red, and measures
2°45” x 1:97’... When looking through Mr. H. E. Dresser’s
collection some time ago, I was immediately struck by the
resemblance of some of his eggs of the Spotted Eagle
(European) to my specimen. It might, possibly, belong to
the next species, but, as that is far less common, I think that
it is unlikely.
No. 1206. *Aquita nastata. Small Indian Spotted Eagle.
I know nothing particular about this Eagle, which appears
to be uncommon. Reid does not mention it in his list,
having apparently confounded it with A. maculata, but in
the Museum are two immature skins obtained near Lucknow,
one by Reid himself,
Birds of Lucknow. 71
No. 1207. Himrairus vascratus. Bonelli’s Eagle.
Churwa (?) [H., ¢este Reid].
The Museum contains several good skins of this fine
Eagle, so that it cannot be rare here. Nevertheless, I know
nothing of it from personal observation, Mr. Pyne, Opium
Department, very kindly sent me a splendid specimen from
Rae Baréli, where it had been doing much damage in the
pigeou-lofts and poultry-yards and was described as “a
perfect Cronje amongst the Hawks.”
No. 1208. *Hieratrus pennatus. Booted Eagle.
I have nothing to add beyond what I have already written
and here reproduce :—
“This bird is not included by Reid in his list of the birds
of the Lucknow Civil Division, although it is true that he
remarks that it is ‘almost certain to be found.’ In the latest
catalogue (1890) of the Lucknow Provincial Museum there
are three specimens entered as obtained in Lucknow, viz. :
ad, sex?, ad. 3, juv. d. I have come across this handsome
little Kagle on two or three occasions in the large park of
La Martiniere College. The first example was a female,
which I shot. I was attracted to it by the cries of a party
of Argya malcolini, which were flying all round, evidently
in a perfect fever of excitement. This was on Dec. 17, 1897.
Several times after this I saw another bird, which I con-
cluded was the mate of the former. My second specimen
was also obtained in the Martiniére Park, while sitting in a
sheshum-tree, in the middle-of March 1899. On examining
the label I find that I did not determine the sex, but, judging
from its small size, I fancy that it was a male. The feet, legs,
and cere im this example were lemon-yellow ; in the female I
noted the bill as yellowish grey at the base and bluish black
at the tip. Since that time I have on two or three occasions
come across birds which I believe to have been individuals of
this Eagle, but was unable to secure them.”
No. 1216. Circattus Gauiicus. Short-toed Eagle.
Jallar (?) [H., teste Reid].
The Short-toed Eagle is a permanent resident and fairly
v2 Mr. W. Jesse on the
common. I have never found the nest, but one from which
an egg had been taken in April was shown to me, and f
fancy that it may have belonged to this species. It was ina
babool-tree.
As Reid has remarked, this species is much more sluggish
and easy to approach during the middle of the day.
No, 1217. Sprtornis curena. Crested Serpent-Eagle.
Common during the cold weather, after which it leaves
for the hills or the sub-montane districts. During the day
it conceals itself more or less in some tree, much after the
fashion of the Honey-Buzzard, but in the mornings and
evenings it is often to be seen sailing high in the air. It
seems to prefer the mere wooded localities, but I once came
across the bird feeding on something—I could not see what—
on a bund by the side of a jheel.
No. 1220. Burasrurtersa. White-eyed Buzzard-Eagle.
Teesa [H.]. Rat-Hawk [? Martiniére boys].
A common and permanent resident, yet, curiously enough,
I have never found its nest, and have only once had it
reported. The eggs, which are skim-milk colour, are
common enough, I am told, in the Hardoi and Shajahanpur
r “usar”
districts. It is frequently to be seen hawking ove
plains, singly or in pairs, or sitting on a bit of dried kunker.
‘Telegraph-posts are also favourite perches.
No. 1223. Hariarrus Leucorypuus. Pallas’s Fishing-
‘Eagle.
Chatangal, Macharang, Mardum, Machakool [H.].
ml
This fine Eagle is a common and permanent resident, and
almost every jheel of any size is tenanted by one or two
pairs. Reid considered it to be anything but a Fishing-
Eagle. ‘It seldom, as a rule, attemps to catch the finny
tribe, but acts the part of a pirate in robbing the Osprey,
Kites, Marsh-Harriers, &c., of their prey, while sportsmen
recognise it as the poacher which never loses an opportunity
of carrying off a dead or wounded Duck, often from under
their very noses. It will feed on almost anything—birds,
Birds of Lucknow. Ve
snakes, rats, frogs, crabs, turtles—anything, in fact, but fishes,
unless, of course, it can get them without much trouble. I
may be hard on this otherwise magnificent Eagle, but, if so,
it is because I have had ample opportunities of gauging his
capabilities.”
My friend Mr. Edgar Till, of the Court of Wards, wrote
to protest against this slanderous attack on the Chatangal’s
character, but, nevertheless, I fear that Reid’s statement
ras not far from the truth.
I fancy that the Fishing-Eagle pairs for life. The nest is
a huge structure of sticks, placed in some lofty solitary
pepul or mango, not far from water. Though I have
often seen the fabrics, I have only twice searched them.
One was empty, but the three eggs were brought me ten
days afterwards, on Nov. 23rd, 1896. The other I took on
Nov. 20th, 1898, when it contained four eges. Reid, who
took several nests, never got eggs after November, but my
friend Mr. P. S. Lucas found a pair in January. From the
end of October to the beginning of December is the most
likely period to get them. The size of my second nest can
be imagined, when I remark that the native climber sat in
the nest—it was built on the branch, nof in a fork—and
lowered the contents. I have never known these birds
shew any signs of fight when I went near their nests, but
the late Captain Hutton told a different story concerning a
pair with young.
Average of 5 Lucknow eggs .,........ 287" GZ21"
Measurement of largest ege .......... 3°05" x 2:21"
F smallest ego ...5...- 22: SON
No, 1226. Porroairus icuruyarrus. Large Grey-headed
Fishing-Eagle.
Reid came across this bird on two or three occasions.
According to him, it cccurs now and then, during the cold
weather, on the large jheels, and more frequently on the big
rivers. An adult @,stuffed by Reid, is in the Museum.
No, 1227. Porroatirus numinis. Hodgson’s Fishing-Eagle.
An exceedingly rare cold-weather visitor. The only
74 Mr. W. Jesse on the
specimen that I have seen is an adult ?, shot by Reid in
the district.
No. 1228. Hatrastur inpus. Brahminy Kite.
Bahmini chil [H.]. Fish-Hawk [Martiniére boys].
This Kite, with its handsome maroon plumage and white
head and shoulders, is common during the cold weather, but
seems to migrate to a certain extent between April and
July, probably to wetter localities. A few remain to breed,
but I appear to be almost the only person who has been lucky
enough to get authentic eggs in Lucknow. On April 16,
1898, I took one addled egg from a nest in which there was
a young bird. The structure was much like that of Milvus
govinda, a rough mass of sticks lined with mud. It was
situated about three-quarters way up a bare mango-tree, in a
tope near the Aishbagh station. The parents were greatly
perturbed, but I did not touch them. On March 24, 1900,
I got two more fresh eggs from the same tope, but the nest
was on another tree, and was, if my memory serves me,
lined with straw. These eggs are dirty white, one having a
very few faimt red specks. They measure 1°95” x 1:57”,
2°00” x 1°62”, 1:94” x 1°62" respectively. According to Reid,
this bird is particularly partial to crabs.
No. 1229. Mitvus covinpa. Common Pariah Kite.
Chil [H.]. Hawk [Martiniére boys].
Kites swarm in Lucknow, as they do in all Indian towns.
They seem rarely to trouble the poultry-yard, though no
doubt they occasionally carry off a chicken. Their principal
food is offal of all sorts, and, with the Vultures and Crows,
they act as scavengers. They are very bold. On one
occasion my khansaman was walking across the compound
with a bone on a plate, when down swooped a Kite and
seized the bone, which, however, it dropped, knocking off the
man’s turban. Oa another occasion a Kite carried off a tame
squirrel from the shelter of its master’s arms.
The breeding-season lasts from December to May, but
most eggs are taken in March and early April. At this
season they are especially daring, and readily attack those
Birds of Lucknow. 79
who go near their nests. On two or three occasions they
have knocked off my climber’s cap, and once a pair gave me
much trouble, even chasing me after I had descended the
tree. Another Kite was reported to have stuck its claws
into a boy. Whether correct or not, the fact remained
that the Kite hatched her eggs undisturbed.
All the nests that I have seen, and I have seen hundreds,
have been placed on trees, in some thick fork and usually not at
the very top, by which fact they may easily be distinguished
from those of Eagles. They are bulky stick structures, lined
with mud and rags, and, in more than one instance, I have
found large bits of brick and kunker alongside of the eggs,
These are nearly always two in number, though I have taken
four. In colour they are white, sometimes but little marked,
but usually more or less heavily blotched and splashed with
varying shades of red and brown.
Average of 12+ Lucknow occa PUB SeilcA a
Measurement of largest Ce one aoonoan Are! Soild
% smaliest ere ........ 990 1-68!
Reid speaks cf this bird breeding indiscriminately on
“trees, mosques, minarets, old buildings, &e.,” but I have
never seen a nest that was not on the first-named.
No. 1230. *Mirvus menanotis. Large Indian Kite.
An occasional winter visitor, but I think very rare. Its
larger size and the conspicuous white patch on the inner
webs of the quills near the base serve to distinguish it from
M. govinda, The only specimen that I secured was a female,
which I shot as it rose from a low dhak-tree by the Mohan-
lalganj jheel, Jan. 18, 1900. There is also a skin in the
Museum from Hardoi.
No. 1232. Exanus caruevs. Black-winged Kite.
Masunwa [H.].
Not numerous, but a permanent resident. I have chiefly
seen it in the neighbourhood of those Jheels which are more
or less surrounded with heavy grass and dhak-jungle. Reid
} Reid’s measurements have evidently been misread by the printers,
76 Mr. W. Jesse on the
found it nesting in a mango in November, and I flushed a
bird off an empty nest in a palm in early June. All the
eges in my collection are from Guzerat, and I have seen none
from this part of India,
No. 1233. Circus macrurus. Pale Harrier.
A very common winter visitor. It flies low, gliding some-
times slowly, sometimes swiftly, over the fields, and it is
astonishing to see how suddenly it stops itself dead with a
quick turn, and drops instantly on its prey.
No. 1234. Circus cineraceus. Jlontayu’s Harrier.
According to Captain Irby, this Harrier is ‘‘ found in the
same localities as the Pale Harrier, and is perhaps more
numerous.” Reid, however, never got it, and I have only
one skin, of an example (2) which I shot during the cold
weather of 1898.
No. 1236. Circus mMeLanoteucus. Pied Harrier.
The same authority (Captain Irby) gives this species as
eing “ very abundant near the rivers Chowka < yogra,
being “ bundant tl Chowka and Gogra
ou the plains covered with thick grass about two feet high.
lave never seen it far away from grass-jungle, where 1
Lt foo y of g jung] I t
appears to replace the preceding species and the Pale Harrier,
although they are now and then seen there also.”
’ Captain Irby’s account is correct, it is strange that
it .C j ; g
neither Reid nor I have ever met with it.
No. 1237. Circus xrucinosus. Marsh-Harrier.
Kutar [H.}.
The Marsh-Harrier is very abundant during the cold
weather, and I have once or twice seen it during the hot
season and “rains.” For this reason I am inclined to
believe, with Reid, that a few pairs breed in the moister parts
of Oudh. ‘The chirri-mars declare they do, making their
nests on the ground in some marshy spot. ‘Their chief food
consists of frogs, snakes, and other reptiles, but rats, mice,
and birds are equally prized. Out shooting they are a perfect
nuisance to the sportsman. hey will beat up and down over
the “ snipey ” bits, putting up bird after bird for no reason, as
Birds of Lucknow. i.
they never stoop at them. Teal and Duck of all sorts they
harry, and Coots they drive into a perfect frenzy, though I
have never seen them strike home. Possibly this is because,
if a bird be killed or wounded, one of these Harriers
immediately bears it off to some elevated ridge or bank, and
devours it before the eyes of its disconsolate brethren.
No. 1239. *Burno rerox. Long-legged Buzzard.
A winter visitor to Lucknow, and, I think, rare. In the
Museum are four examples shot by myself, the Collector, and
Reid, though the last-named did not include the species in
his “ List.’ I have also seen one or two specimens which [|
could not procure. All that I have observed were on more
or less cultivated maidaus interspersed with babool-jungle.
No. 1241. Burgo pesertornum. Common Buzzard.
A winter visitor and by no means common. Appears
chiefly to affect ravines and dhak-jungle.
No. 1244. Astur baprus. Shikra.
Shikra [H.]. Sparrow-Hawk [ Martiniére boys].
This is our commonest Hawk, and is to be found in almost
every part of the district. It is by no means a shy bird,
and, like the Tawny Eagle, builds its nest in the Station close
to human dwellings. I have found several, but, until last
season, I had bad luck as regards eggs. Both this bird and
Aquila vindhiana seem to desert them on the shghtest pretext.
The nest is a rough structure of stieks high up in some tree—
the mango in nine cases out of ten—and the eges, skim-milk +
in colour and usually three in number, are laid from the end
of March to the middle of May.
Average of 25 Lucknow eggs ......., Lon eo”
Measurement of largest ege ........., 162" 1-25”
3 Smallestiego 6. . ne 1:42" < 1-38"
The Shikra is much prized by those natives who still
indulge in falconry. The Hawk is thrown from the hand at
Mynas, Quails, Larks, and such small fry. Reid on one
+ I took one clutch slightly marked with large faint blotches of
brownish yellow.
78 Mr. W. Jesse on the
occasion watched a pair catch and devour a_ squirrel
(Sciurus palmarum).
No. 1247. Acctrirer nisus. Sparrow-Hawk.
Basha [H.].
A. fairly common winter visitor. By those who do not
know the simple way of distinguishing the two genera—
viz., the much greater length aud slenderness of the tarsi
and toes in Accipiter—this and the preceding species are
often confounded.
No, 1248. Accrpirer vireatus. Besra Sparrow-Hawk.
Besra [H.].
A cold-weather visitor, very locally distributed. Chiefly
met with in dense bamboo-brakes, through which it moves
with rapidity and ease. It is far from common, and I know
nothing about it, save what Reid has written in his notes.
No. 1249. Pernis cristatus. Crested Honey- Buzzard.
The Honey-Buzzard is not uncommon, but is very fond of
concealing itself in thick trees and hence is not very often
seen, I came upon one with a huge piece of comb in its
beak, and from one which Reid shot there flowed enough
honey to fill a tea-cup. Another that I shot in June 1901
got into a dreadful mess from the same cause. <A few indi-
viduals may remain to breed, but I think that most of them
migrate locally to the sub-montane tracts for that purpose.
They nest, or at any rate did so years ago, in the avenues and
compounds of Saharanpur, which is just south of Dehra Dun.
No. 1254. Fatco rereerinus. Peregrine Falcon,
Bhyri [H.].
The Peregrine is a cold-weather visitor and is looked upon
with great favour by faleoners. It is generally to be seen
near jheel-sides, and Reid has remarked upon the way in whica
the bird seems to know the purpose of a gun, sallying forth
from its perch after each shot te scan the locality for a
dead or wounded bird. Of late years, possibly because
much marsh-land has been brought under cultivation, the
Peregrine has become rather scarce,
Birds of Lucknow. 79
No. 1255. Fatco perverinator. Shahin Falcon.
Kohw PHA.
Reid got a smgle speeimen (adult ¢) at Unao, and now
and then birds may be seen in the possession of faleoners,
but I doubt whether these are procured anywhere in the
vicinity of Lucknow.
No. 1256. Fatco parsanus. Barbary Falcon.
T include this species on the strength of Captain Irby’s
specimen obtained at Barabanki in 1858.
Major Cock, in the ‘Gazetteer of Oudh,’ gives it as one
of the birds of the Kheri district ; so, as Reid remarked, it
is probably a more or less frequent visitor to the Terai.
No. 1257. Fatco succer. Lugger Falcon.
Laggar, Bhyri [H.]. Pigeon-Hawk [Anglo-Indians].
The Lugger is a permanent resident and fairly common.
It is found almost anywhere, but principally in the more
open country. It preys upon Pigeons in the eity, where
it often does much mischief. A pair breed every year,
and have done—or their ancestors before them—for thirty
years at least, on the top of the monument standing in
the middle of the Martiniere tank. These birds never
seem to interfere with the Pigeons which live about the
College, but the Estate Superintendent has, on more than one
occasion, received letters complaining of them from persous
in distant parts of the city. More than one enraged and
blood-thirsty pigeon-owner has obtained leave to bring a
gun, but the position of the monwment, and its great height,
put any idea of slanghter out of the question. Though nests
have been shown me on high trees, during the month of March,
I have never yet got the eggs. Reid, who found three half-
fledged young birds in that month, states that the Lugeer
begins to lay asearly as December. Though capable of great
speed, I fancy that it is less dashing and pertinacious than the
Peregrine, and is inclined to get sulky if it misses its quarry.
At any rate, though sought after by sporting Nawabs,
falconers do not prize it nearly as much as they do the
“pukka” Bhyri,
80 On the Birds of Lucknow.
No. 1260. Fatco suspurro. Hobby.
Morassani [H., ¢este Reid].
A somewhat rare cold-weather visitor, coming about
November and leaving in March. It is generally found in
pairs or small parties in the better-wooded and more marshy
parts. An almost illegible pencil note which I have just
come across gives “ Pychan ” as another name for this bird.
No. 1261. Fanco severus. Indian Hobby.
Neither Reid nor I have ever met with this bird in the
wild state, but, as recently caught specimens are sometimes
to be seen in the bazaars, it must occur here occasionlly.
No. 1264. Aisaton cnitcquera. Red-headed Merlin.
Turmooti, Turumti [H.].
In Oudh this bird is invariably known as the Turmoott,
and, though occasionally one hears it called Turumti, it 1s
generally by the Kuropean who is making enquiries regarding
it. Elsewhere, no doubt, the second spelling may be correct,
but not with us.
This game little Falcon is fairly common and a permanent
resident, making a stick nest in some high tree about February
or March. I have seen only one or two of these nests, and,
unfortunately, have not got the eggs. In one case, after the
bird had laid two, a youngster broke out of bounds and
forestalled me. Some years ago five red eggs, handsomely
blotched with deep red-brown, were taken from a nest at the
top of a “cork”-tree near the Kurshaed Munzil. Reid
-took three fledged young from a nest at the top of a mango
on the 21st of April. The Turmooti preys largely on the
numerous Larks that swarm on the maidans, and often I have
witnessed some of the prettiest hawking imaginable.
—No. 1265. Tinnuncutts atauparius. Kestrel.
Koruttia, Kursuttia [H.].
Very common during the cold weather. It departs to the
hills to breed, and the only egg that I have was kindly taken
for me by Mr, P. S. Lucas from a nest which he showed
me ona cliff near Solon below Simla. I know a nest of the
On the Flight of Albatrosses. 81
Lammergeier [Gypaétus barbutus] on a cliff just below the
Simla cart-road which is appropriated during the summer by
a pair of Kestrels. Reid found the bird breeding in company
between Almora and Naini Tal in May. Its food consists of
insects, frogs, and small mammals, while once the above-
named authority found it feasting on a Dove (Turtur
suratensis).
No. 1265. Tinnuncutus cuncuris. Lesser Kestrel.
Apparently a rare winter visitor. Possibly it has been
overlooked. Its smaller size and whitish or pale horny
claws—instead of black, as in T. a/audarius—distinguish it at
once. Two local skins—of which I can find only one—are
in the Museum, and two more specimens are said to have
been obtained here by the late Mr. Anderson.
[To be continued. |
V.—Remarks on the Flight of Albatrosses.
By Captain F. W. Hurron, F.R.S.
Sartors apply the name “ Albatross” to the large species with
white backs, and distinguish the smaller forms of the Southern
Ocean—with black backs and a dark border to the anterior
edge of the lower surface of the wing—as ‘ Mollymawks.”
The breeding-habits in these two groups are very different ;
the Albatrosses choosing grassy flats, the Mollymawks rocky
cliffs, on which to make their nests. The British Museum
Catalogue, however, takes the shape of the bill as a character
by which to separate the birds; thus placing Diomedea
melanophrys, which is the typical Mollymawk, among the
Albatrosses. .
In the Pliocene Period Albatrosses inhabited the North
Atlantic Ocean ; but at the present time they are practically
limited to the North Pacific, as far south as 20° N., the coast
of Peru, and the Southern Ocean between 30° S. and 60° S.
Several are dark in colour when they are young and get
whiter as they grow old; and this points to the probability
of D. nigripes, of the North Pacific, which remains dark
throughout life, being nearer to the prototype Albatross than
any other species now living.
SER. VIII.— VOL. III. G
82 Capt. F. W. Hutton on the
Starting from D. nigripes we have three groups :—The
first includes D. irrorata, D. immutabilis, and D. albatrus, of
the North Pacific, which have mottled under wing-coverts
and the culmicorn in contact with the latericorn for a con-
siderable distance behind the base of the nasal tube. The
second group consists of the three species of true Southern
Albatrosses—D. exulans, D. regia, and D. chionoptera—clearly
linked together by their white under wing-coverts and the
shape of the culmicorn, which has a very short, almost
punctiform, contact with the latericorn behind the base of
the nasal tube. The third group contains D. melanophrys
alone, which has a bill resembling that of the northern
Albatrosses, but with different colouring.
The genus Thalassogeron, which is entirely southern, is
connected through D. melanophrys with the northern Alba-
trosses, D. irrorata and D.immutabilis. It seems, therefore,
probable that Albatrosses originated in the Northern Hemi-
sphere and passed south through the Pacific Ocean.
No two species of Albatross or Mollymawk are known to
breed in the same locality. Even when two different kinds
are found on the same island—as D. exulans and D. regia on
Adam's Island of the Auckland group—they occupy widely
separated sites. So far as I know, Thalassogeron salvini, of
the Bounty Islands, is the earliest species to breed, for it com-
mences at the end of August. D. melanophrys, on Campbell
Island, comes next, in the middle of September; then the
Sooty Albatross, Phebetria fuliginosa, in the end of October
at the Antipodes and Auckland Islands, and a little later at
Kerguelen Island. D. regia commences at Campbell Island in
the middle of November; D. chionoptera at Kerguelen in
the middle or end of December; D. eaulans in the first week
of January at Adam/’s Island and the middle of January at
Antipodes Island ; and last comes 7. culminatus at the Snares
Islands in the end of January. So that there is no less
than five months’ difference between the first and the last.
As these birds all live on the same food and have the
same simple habits when they are at sea, we cannot suppose
that their distinctive specific characters are due to natural
Flight of Albatrosses. 83
selection, for that which would favour one would favour all.
Nor can we suppose that they are due to the action of external
conditions, because what would affect one would affect all.
Nor can we suppose them to be recognition-marks, for, when
the breeding-time is drawing near, each bird goes separately
to its old nest before courtship begins. The pink feathers
on the sides of the neck of D. chionoptera may possibly be
due to sexual selection, but we cannot suppose that all the
differences b:tween the species have such an origin ; for the
birds appear to mate for life, so that there is very little
opportunity for choice. It cannot, therefore, be that the
species of Albatrosses were formed by competition on the
ocean, and subsequently chose separate breeding-grounds.
We must believe that isolation preceded the development of
their specific characters.
Now it is not aifficult to imagine that those birds to which
the breeding impulse came first should retire to their breeding-
grounds and there mate; while those in which the impulse
was delayed might find their old breeding-grounds fully
occupied and would have to choose others. Thus, owing to
physiological isolation, asmall number of birds would become
physically isolated and new specific characters might arise
and be preserved. I believe that this method of physiological
isolation has often played an important part in the origin of
species without any help from natural selection, not only in
birds, but also in insects. It is evident that in an equable
climate, where the exact time of breeding was not very
important, many variations might be preserved by this
means; while in more rigorous climates, where the breeding-
season must necessarily be short, this kind of physiological
isolation could not occur. And this may account for the
greater number of species in tropical countries, especially
on islands, as contrasted with the enormous number of
individuals belonging to very few species which is charac-
teristic of temperate regions with continental climates.
One of the most peculiar and characteristic habits of the
Albatrosses—as well as of all the larger Petrels—is their so-
called “ sailing”’ method of flight, which enables the birds to
Ga
84.
Capt. F. W. Hutton on the
Albatross turning sharply to the left.
Flight of Albatrosses. 85
keep on the wing all day with very little exertion. Of course,
it is not true sailing, but some word is wanted to distinguish
it from the soaring of Vultures, Pelicans, and other birds.
For the flight of the Petrels is performed near the surface of
the sea and the birds make irregular curves with such sharp
turns that their outstretched wings are, when turning, in an
almost perpendicular position (see fig. 7). Vultures, when
soaring, ascend to a considerable height, and then wheel
Albatross rising and turning to the right.
round and round in great circles, always keeping their wings
horizontal.
Sailing flight depends, of course, upon the principle of the
inclined plane. The bird acquires momentum by flapping
its wings and then, holding them extended and motionless,
waits until its momentum is nearly exhausted, when it
once more propels itself forward as before. In the case
of the Sooty Albatross the interval may, under favourable
conditions, be about half an hour, and the difficulty is to
explain why the friction of the air does not sooner bring tlie
86 Capt. F. W. Hutton on the
bird to a standstill. It was pointed out in 1889 by Mr. A. —
C. Baines * that the birds usually rise in a slanting direction
against the wind (fig. 9), turn round in a rather large circle,
and make a rapid descent (fig. 10) down the wind. They
subsequently take a longer or shorter flight in various diree-
tions, almost touching the water. After that comes another
ascent in the same manner, followed by another serics of
Albatross commencing to rise.
movements. Now, as the velocity of the wind near the
surface of the sea is diminished by the friction of the waves,
when the bird ascends into the more rapidly moving upper
current its vis inertie makes the wind blow past it, and so its
stock of energy is increased. When it descends it will be
* ‘Nature,’ vol. xi. p. 9; and Lord Rayleigh, ¢. ¢. p. 34.
Flight of Albatrosses. 87
moving faster than the lower stratum of wind and will again
develop new energy if its inertia is sufficient to prevent its
attaining the new velocity of the wind at once. So that the
bird must fly against the wind when ascending and with it
when descending. Thus the energy constantly lost by the
friction of the air is partially renewed by these manceuvres.
This explains why the birds can sail longer in a high wind
thaninacalm. It is because in a high wind and with a high
Fig. 10.
Albatross descending and making a broad curve to the left.
sea there is much greater difference between the velocities of
the wind near the surface and a short distance above it; and
this, again, is an explanation of why an Albatross keeps so
close to the surface of the sea, only just topping the waves
and occasionally rising high in the air.
The foregoing sketches (figs. 7-10) are copied from enlarged
photographs, the only good ones out of many failures. The
88 On rare or unfigured Eggs of Palearctic Birds.
difficulty of photographing flyimg birds from the deck of a
rolling ship, often vibrating considerably, is great, and I
have also found that the sea makes a very bad_ back-
ground ; my most successful attempts were therefore made
at birds above the horizon.
VI.—On some rare or unfigured Eggs of Palearctic Birds.
By H. E. Dresser, F.Z.S.
(Plate MT")
Wuen selecting specimens for my former article on the
eges of certain Siberian Thrushes (Ibis, 1901, p. 445), I
noticed one clutch, stated to belong to Turdus dubius, which
differed somewhat from the rest, and on examining the
parent bird, which had been shot at the nest, I found it to
be undoubtedly a female Turdus naumanni.
As the eggs of this species have been hitherto quite un-
known, I have thought it advisable to figure four out of the
clutch, to shew what little variation is noticeable in them
(see Pl. III. figs. 1, 2, 3, 6). Mr. Popham informs me that
they were taken on the Yenesei River in 1900. He has also
sent me another clutch, along with the parent bird, which,
however, on examination proves to be a hybrid between
Turdus naumanni and T. dubius. It would seem, therefore,
that the breeding-range of these two species meets somewhere
about the Yenesei, and that they occasionally interbreed, as
is known to be the case with 7. atrigularis and T. ruficollis.
Although the Mongolian Song-Thrush (Turdus auritus Ver-
reaux) much resembles 7. musicus, its eggs differ considerably
from those of that species, being, as will be seen by the
figures (Pl. III. figs. 4, 5), much more of the Misletoe-
Thrush type. This Thrush inhabits Mongolia and Northern
China. Prjevalsky found two nests in Kan-su in the middle
of May—one on a broken tree-stump, and the other on the
branch of a willow, about seven feet from the ground. One
of the eggs now figured was obtained by Mr. Berezovski near
Mindjeon, in Kan-su, while the other is from the collection
of Mr. Goebel of St. Petersburg.
Ibis, 1908. P1. III.
EGGS OF PAL/ZARCTIC THRUSHES.
On the Synonymy of some Palearctic Birds. 89
Swinhoe’s Thrush (Turdus hortulorum Sclater) breeds in
Eastern Siberia, but, so far as I can ascertain, its eggs have
not hitherto been figured. Its nest is constructed of grass-
bents, plant-stems, and rootlets, lined with similar but finer
materials, and is placed onatree. The eggs figured (PI. IIT.
figs. 7, 8, 9) are from a clutch of five, obtained near Amur
Bay, Eastern Siberia, by Messrs. Dorries.
The Pale Thrush (Turdus pallidus Gmel.) likewise breeds
in Kastern Siberia, and possibly also in Japan; it occurs
in Mongolia, Manchuria, and Corea on passage, and winters
in China. Its nest is placed on the branch of a tree, and is
constructed of roots of Vaccinium, dry herbs, grass, moss,
and pine-needles; it is lined with fine grass-bents, and four
or five eggs are deposited in June. Those figured (Pl. III.
figs. 10, 11, 12) are from a clutch of five obtained near Amur
Bay by Messrs. Dorries on the 3rd of June. The eggs of
this Thrush have been described by Taczanowski, but do not
appear to have been figured.
The eggs of Turdus naumanni which I have figured are
from the collection of Mr. Hugh L. Popham; for the loan
of all the rest I have to thank Dr. Bianchi, of the Museum
of St. Petersburg.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE III.
Figs. 1, 2,3,6. Eggs of Terdus naumanni, p. 88.
oe aos + » aureus, p. 88.
lig. Oats 3 » hortulorum, p. 89.
el Oy Tae 2: - » pallidus, p. 89.
VII.—Notes on the Synonymy of some Palearctic Birds.
By H. E. Dresszr, F.Z.S.
Wuen I was recently at Sarajevo, in Bosnia, Mr. Othmar
Reiser called my attention to a work on the Balkans, by the
late Johan von Frivaldsky, entitled ‘ Balkauyi Természettu-
domanyi Utazdsrél, Budan, 1838, in which the following
description is given of the Collared Turtle-Dove (p. 30,
90 On the Synonymy of some Palearctic Birds.
Tafel viii.), under the name “ Columba decaocta,”’ viz.:—
**C. supra pallide fusca, subtus ex roseo cinerascens, remigibus
fusco-nigricantibus pallide marginatis, tectricibus marginali-
bus albo-cxrulescentibus, rectricibus obscure cinerascentibus,
subtus basi nigris versus apicem albis ; lunula cervicali
nigra, supra albg, infra fusco marginata; tectricibus caudve
superioribus pallide fuscis, inferioribus czeruleo-cineras-
centibus.” The plate accompanying this description gives
an excellent representation of the bird.
In the ‘ Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum ’ (xxi.
p. 430), Count Salvadori terms this Dove Turtur douraca,
from Hodgson in Gray’s ‘ Zool. Mise.’ p. 85 (1844) ; but the
specific name mentioned above antedates that of Hodgson
by six years, and this species should therefore stand as
Turtur decaocta (Frivaldsky).
When I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the spring
of 1902, 1 saw this Dove in the Turkish quarter at Mostar,
as well as at Sarajevo. .
As pointed out by Professor Newton (Dict. of B. p. 509,
foot-note), the generic title Ga/erita cannot be used for the
Crested Larks, having been preoccupied in Entomology ; and
it will therefore be necessary either to relegate these Larks
to the genus A/auda or to select a new generic name. Con-
sequently, in my ‘ Manual of Palearctic Birds,’ which is now
in the press, I have proposed to use the generic name Corydus
(kopvédos of Aristotle) for this group. It has, however, been
pointed out to me (too late, unfortunately, to correct my
error, as that part of the ‘Manual?’ has been printed off) that
Dr. von Madarasz has already made anew genus for the
Crested Larks, viz. Ptilacorys, type Alauda cristata Linn.
(‘ Magyarorszag Madarai a hazai Madarvilaig megismerésének
vezérfonala,’ 1"* Fiizel, p. 48, 1899). This work, being in
Hungarian, I had not consulted, and therefore was unaware
that such a generic name had been published.
Mr. Whitaker (Ibis, 1898, p. 625) and Mr. Reiser
(‘ Aquila,’ v. p. 293, 1898) have pointed out that the Black-
On Pitta longipennis and Pitta reichenowi. 91
eared Wheatear (Qinanthe albicollis Vieill. 1818, not Saxicola
aurita Temm. 1820, as cited by the former writer) may be
separated into two forms, an eastern and a western repre-
sentative, and Mr. Whitaker has proposed the name Sawicola
catarine for the latter or western form. It is quite true that
eastern examples may be distinguished from those of the
western portion of this Wheatear’s range, and the differences
as given by him are correct, as I have ascertained by the
examination of a large series in the National Museum at
Buda-Pest ; but as both forms have already received names,
Mr. Whitaker’s name is merely a synonym.
Vieillot’s Qinanthe albicollis inhabits, he states, the
southern provinces of France, Italy, and Spain, and is
clearly the western form, whereas Hemprich & Ehrenberg
describe the eastern form under the name Saxicola amphi-
leuca (Symb. Phys., Aves, fol. bb, footnote 4, 1829) from
the Lebanon. The eastern form will therefore stand as
Saxicola amphileuca Wempr. & Khreub., and the western as
Saxicola albicollis (Vieill.).
I may here also remark that the Pied Wheatear may be
separated into two forms or races by those ornithologists
who elect to recognise subspecies, as the western form is,
as a rule, somewhat smaller, has the black band on the
back narrower, and the outer tail-feathers, as a rule, quite
white. If, however, Mr. Whitaker is correct in his state-
ment (Bull. B. O. Club, xii. p. 15) that in the eastern form
the sexes are alike, whereas in the western form they differ
in plumage, the two must be recognised as good species, and
in such case the eastern will stand as Savicola luyens Licht.
and the western as Saaicola halophila Tristram,
VIII.—Remarks on Pitta longipennis Reichenow and Pitta
reichenowi Madardsz. By R. Bowpier Sarre, LL.D.
(Plate IV.)
Dr. von MaparAdsz has very kindly sent over to England
for my cxamination the type of the Pitta described by him
92 On Pitta longipennis and Pitta reichenowi.
in 1901 from the Central Congo district, and named (Orn.
MB. ix. p. 133) Pitta reichenowi. It is certainly a
remarkable-looking bird, differing from P. angolensis and
P. longipennis in the green chest, which is shehtly mixed
with dull ochre on the upper breast.
In P. angolensis there is a double pale eyebrow, a narrower
one above the black sides of the face and a superior broad
one of dark ochreous brown. In the other two species there
is but one eyebrow, very broad, light ochreous, and turning
paler towards the posterior end of the superciliary band
along each side of the nape.
The blue spangles on the wings are of a deeper cobalt-
blue in P. reichenowi and P. longipennis, and there is a shade
of purple or ultramarine on the spots of the median and
greater wing-coverts, as well as on the inner secondaries,
especially in the last-named species.
The white alar speculum in P. reichenowi is of about the
same size as in P. angolensis, and the amount of whitish
shade at the end of the outer secondaries is indistinct and
not so great as in P. longipennis.
The characters for the three species seem to be as
follows :—
| Blue spots on |
| Blue patch on median and |
| lesser wing- | greater wing- | Ochreous super-
| coverts - | coverts ciliary stripe
1. P. angolensis ....\ eau-de-nil. eau-de-nil or double.
| cobalt.
2. P. longipennis .. cobalt. | purplish blue or single.
| ultramarine,
3. P. reichenow?.... cobalt. cobalt or dull single.
ultramarine.
Light spots at end of | Fore-neck and chest
| outer secondaries |
PPT anGOlensts) . 4. . - obsolete, greyish white. | pale ochreous,
2. P. longipennis ....| white and distinct. _ pale ochreous.
3. P.rewchenowt .... | obsolete, greyish white. | dull greenish.
SsUNNAeL SNOW valid ¢ SLUANOINGERSPONVERSE Avilla 91h
-durr ‘uosspetmrecy y eTeg UAT 92 "[2P ‘PIryapoeog - py
On the Silver-Pheasants of Burma. 93
The dimensions of the three species are as follows :—
Total
leneth. Culmen. Wing. Tail. Tarsus.
in. in. in. in. rhs
fee angolensis okay elene) sieve 74 EO 4-4 15 1:3
EE HORGUPEMIMIS) . ene. sale 738 i 3 1k 16
PFetCRENOWt 2.2. .55% Pe) 0-5 47 18 155
The specimen of P. longipennis here considered is that
procured by Mr. J. ffolliott Darling, near Salisbury, in
Rhodesia (cf. Sharpe, Bull. B. O. C. xu. p. 49). The
type-specimen in Berlin was obtained in Northern Nyasa-
land.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE IV.
Fig. 1. Pitta reichenowi?, from the typical specimen,
2. Pitta longipennis, from the specimen procured by Mr. J. ffolliott
Darling, near Salisbury, in Rhodesia.
3oth the figures are reduced to ?ths of the natural size.
IX.—On the Silver-Pheasants of Burma.
By Eucrene W. Oarss, F.Z.S.
Wuen I wrote the first part of the ‘Manual of the Game-
Birds of India’ in 1898, the material for dealing with the
Silver-Pheasants was very scanty. Now, owing to the
assistance of numerous kind friends, whose names will be
found in the following notes, the number of specimens of
these Pheasants in the Natural History Museum has been
much augmented and some rare forms have been acquired.
I wish, therefore, to revise my account of the Burmese species
and to correct some mistakes into which I have fallen.
The old notion that these birds interbreed in a wild state
and produce a confusion of forms must now be abandoned.
There is nothing to support this view. The larger the series
of these Pheasants becomes, the more clearly and distinctly
does it appear that they are well-defined species, bearing no
particular resemblance to any other Pheasants the range of
which they overlap.
There is a poiut about these Pheasants which is very
9 4. Mr. E. W. Oates on the
interesting. Where the males of two species are super-
ficially alike and might be confounded, as in G. sharpit and
G. rufipes, we find that the females are totally different.
Again, where the females of two species are so alike as to be
barely distinguishable from each other, as in G. sharpii
and G. /ineatus, we find that the males are wide apart. The
same holds good with the four Himalayan species, viz., G. albi-
cristatus, G. leucomelanus, G. melanonotus, and G. horsfieldi,
in which the males can be recognised at a glance, but the
females cannot be separated with any certainty.
Many persons examining the males of G. nycthemerus and
my new species, G. jonesi, might refuse to consider them as
distinct. The great difference in the females of the two
species would, however, speedily convince them to the
contrary.
Of the numerous species of Genneus now recognised, I do
not know any two which resemble each other as regards
both sexes. Either the males or the females are strikingly
different.
I now proceed to give a key to the males of all the Burmese
Silver-Pheasants, twelve in number, and a sufficiently detailed
account of each species. I do not attempt to give a key to
the females, as some of them are not known.
Key to the Males.
a. Legs deep red.
a’, Upper plumage marked throughout with lines
parallel to the margins of the feathers, each
pair wide apart at the base and meeting on the
shaft, forming a spoon-shaped figure.
a'. Ear-coverts and the whole of the sides of the
neck heavily pencilled with scale-like marks.
a’, Tail up to 12 inches. Either two or three
pairs of black lines on each feather of the
upper plumage, these being broader than
the white interspaces ..... ate urst oaielees G.. andersoni.
b'". Tail up to 20 inches. Either four or five
pairs of black lines on each feather of the
upper plumage, these being about equal
tothe white imterspaces . .tescss © sp wes G. rufipes.
Silver-Pheasants of Burma,
b". Tailup to 25inches. Ear-coverts and adjacent
parts of the sides of the neck, for a space of
about 2 inches, pure white ..........-:. :
b'. Upper plumage black, vermiculated transversely
with white, each feather marked with a sub-
terminal pale blue band and a white fringe
b. Legs brown, horn-coloured, ftlesh-coloured, or
greenish, never red.
ce’. Rump-feathers not fringed with white.
ce’, Whole upper plumage uniformly and more or
less transversely vermiculated with fine close
black and white limes. o....535. 02.2. Suda
d''. Whole upper plumage marked with black
and white lines, which run parallel to the
margins of the feathers, each pair forming
a spoon-shaped figure ............ orem
d', Rump-feathers fringed with white.
ec’, Rump-feathers merely fringed, not ver-
miculated.
ce’, Mantle and back plain black ............
d'’, Mantle and back transversely vermiculated.
jf’. Rump-feathers not only fringed, but also
vermiculated.
é'", Mantle and back more or less transversely
vermiculated.
a‘. Fringe and vermiculation next to it
almost, if not quite, in contact.
a, Lower plumage streaked with white. .
b’. Lower plumage entirely black ......
6+. iinge and vermiculation next to it
divided by a black band as bioad as the
ROITIO A we) Greate eed ota eater
t'’. Mantle and back marked with curved
lines parallel to the margins of the
feathers, each pair forming a spoon-
Shaped HUTS 2 i ciacie see secs :
1. GENNAUS ANDERSONI.
Euplocamus andersoni Elliot, P. Z. 8. 1871,
=)
Tq.
T.
T.
a.
G.
G.
95
. Jonest.
. nisbetti.
. lineatus.
. sharpir,
horsfield?,
weekhane,
oatest,
CULLEN.
williams?,
davisont.
p-- 137 32d:
Monogr. Phasianidee, 11. pl. xxii. (1870-72) ; Anderson,
Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 678, pl. liti. (1878).
In my ‘Manual’ (pt. i. p. 338) I pointed out that
Dr. Elliot had described this species in two perfectly irre-
coucilable ways—the description in the P. Z. S. and the
96 Mr. E. W. Oates on the
plate in the Monograph being based on a native drawing
sent by Anderson, and the description in the Monograph
on a skin also sent by him.
I also pointed out that Anderson had sent to the British
Museum the skin of a Pheasant, of which he remarked :—
“On the second expedition of 1875, I procured another
male, somewhat younger than the type, but agreeing with it
in all essential details, and this specimen is now in the
British Museum.” Under these circumstances I accepted
Anderson’s specimen as representing G. andersoni.
The acquisition, however, of askin of the Pheasant sent by
Colonel G. Rippon to the British Museum has now cleared
up the matter. This skin agrees exactly with Elliot’s de-
scription in the P. Z. S., with his plate in the Monograph,
and with Anderson’s plate of the type specimen. It proves
that the specimen sent by Anderson to the British Museum
is not one of G. andersoni, as I had supposed it to be, but of
a species which Mr. Ogilvie-Grant has rightly considered to
be distinct, and has named G. davisoni.
In the male of G. andersoni the legs are deep red. The
feathers of the upper plumage throughout are black, marked
with white bands, which run parallel to the margins of the
feathers, and form from two to four spoon-shaped figures
on each feather, the black bands being much broader than
the white interspaces. The sides of the neck are covered
with scale-like markings. The whole lower plumage is
black, with the exception of some white streaks on the sides
of the breast. The wings and tail are black, obliquely
marked with white, the three outer pairs of tail-feathers
being almost entirely black. Tail 12 inches; wing nearly
10 inches.
The exact locality from which Anderson’s type specimen
(a live bird) was brought is not known. ‘The specimen sent
by Colonel Rippon was shot on the Kachin Hills, thirty
miles east of Bhamo, at a police post called Warar Bum,
which is situated at an elevation of 6000 feet, in May. The
female of this species is unknown.
Silver-Pheasants of Burma. 97
2. GENNAUS RUFIPES.
Genneus andersoni apud Oates, Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist.
Soc. xp. Li? (1895).
Genneus rufipes Oates, Manual Game-Birds India, pt. i.
p- 3863 (1898).
This Pheasant appears to be confined to the Ruby-Mines
district and to be abundant round the town of Mogok. In
addition to the type specimen, which I myself procured at
Mogok, I have examined others from the same neighbour-
hood, lent me by the Hon. Walter Rothschild.
The male has the legs deep red. The feathers of the
upper plumage throughout are white, marked with four or
five black lines, which run parallel to the margins of the
webs and form spoon-shaped figures on each feather, the
black and white bands being about equal in width. The
sides of the head and neck are covered with scale-like
markings. The wings and tail are black, obliquely banded
with white, the inner webs of the middle pair of tail-feathers
being almost entirely white. The lower plumage is deep
black, with some white streaks on the sides of the breast.
The tail in adults reaches a length of 20 inches. The wing
measures 10°5 inches.
The female, for a specimen of which I am indebted to
Mr. Rothschild, has the legs deep red, the upper plumage
and wings umber-brown with paler margins, the outer webs
of the primaries mottled with pale brown. The lower
plumage is dark umber-brown, each feather having two or
three large irregular and somewhat V-shaped ochraceous
bands. The tail is irregularly and obliquely banded with
rufous, ochraceous, and black. Length of tail 10 inches,
of wing 9 inches.
The females in this species and the next are of the same
type, but in the female of G. jonest the lower plumage is
black and the V-shaped marks are white.
3. GENNXUS JONESI, Sp. nov.
Genneus nycthemerus apud Ogilvie-Grant, Ibis, 1900,
p. 606.
I have much pleasure in naming this handsome species
SER, VIII.—VOL, IIL. H
98 Mr. E. W. Oates on the
after my friend Major Henry Jones, who has greatly assisted
me in studying and discriminating the various forms of
Silver- Pheasants.
This species is found in the Shan States and Yunnan. The
Natural History Museum now possesses a large series.
The type specimen was sent to me by Capt. J. H.
Whitehead, who shot it at a place twenty miles east of
Kengtung (N. lat. 21° 30! and EH. long. 99°45’). He remarks
that it is not uncommon on the hill-ranges between the
Salween and Mekong Rivers. Colonel Rippon has sent five
specimens that he procured at an elevation of 5000-7000 feet
on Loi-Mai, a mountain situated in N. lat. 20° 30! and
E. long. 97° 30'.. He has also sent three skins obtained by
Mr. H. N. Thompson at Trans-Salween Moukmai, which is
approximately in N. lat. 20° and E. long. 98° 80’. Capt. W.
G. Nisbett has recently presented a specimen to the Natural
History Museum which he shot at Pansibum, about forty-
five miles east of Bhamo, at an elevation of 7000 feet, while
he also notes that this bird occurs at Pumbum, about a
hundred and fifty miles north of Bhamo, on the frontier of
Yunnan, at an elevation of 7000 fect. Lastly, a Pheasant
brought home by Capt. A. W. 8S. Wingate from Yunnan,
south-east of Bhamo, is referable to this species.
The male resembles that of G. nycthemerus, but differs
in the following respects :—The primaries are black, marked
with diagonal zigzag white bands, which are narrower than
the intervening black spaces. ‘The secondaries are diagonally
banded with black and white in about equal proportions. The
inner webs and the terminal half of the outer webs of the
middle pair of tai!-feathers are plain white, with the exception
of a few black specks under the coverts ; the basal half of
the outer web is marked with narrow wavy black lines,
nearly parallel to the shaft. The bands on the upper plumage
are much heavier, being of about the thickness of a stout
hair-pin.
In the male of G. nycthemerus the first primary is white,
marked on the inner web with three broad firm black lines
Silver-Pheasants of Burma. 99
parallel to the shaft. The black marks on the other primaries
are oblique and broken, and occupy only one-third of the
feather, the remaining two-thirds being white. On the
secondaries the black markings occupy only one-quarter of
the feather, the remaining three-quarters being white. The
two middle tail-feathers are entirely white, with the exception
of a few narrow black bars under the coverts. The bands
on the upper plumage are much finer, being of about the
thickness of a small pin.
The females of the two species are totally different. In
G. jonesi each feather of the lower plumage is black and has
a spearhead-shiped white shaft-streak and a submarginal,
somewhat V-shaped, white band near to, and following, the
margin of the web. The tail-feathers are banded with coarse
oblique bars of black, brown, aud pale buff.
In G. nycthemerus the whole plumage of the female, both
above and below, is umber-brown with pale shafts to the
feathers; there are none of the conspicuous white marks on
the lower plumage which are to be found in G. jonesi. The
tail-feathers are finely vermiculated, not bauded, with black,
brown, and white.
A fine male of G. yonesi measures 40 inches in length ;
wing 11°5 inches ; tail 25 inches. The legs are bright red ;
the skin of the face is searlet ; the irides are hazel and the
bill is of a greenish colour.
A female measures about 25 inches in length ; wing 10
inches ; tail 11 inches.
4. GENNAUS NISBETTI, Sp. Nov.
It is not always safe to describe a new species from an
incomplete skin, but in this particular instance a specimen of
a Silver-Pheasaut, consisting of the skin of the back and
rump, the wings, tail, and feet, seut by Capt. W. G. Nisbett,
indicates a species totally different from any known to me.
This bird, a male, was procured in the Kachin Hills, five
miles east of Sadon, at an elevation of 2500 feet. Sadon is
a police-post close to the Chinese frontier and some forty
I 2
100 Mr. E. W. Oates on the
miles east of Myitkyina. I name this species after its dis-
coverer, Capt. Nisbett.
The characters which render this species so distinct are
the deep red legs and the white-fringed plumage of the back
and rump. The feathers of these parts are black, finely and
transversely vermiculated with from eight to ten fine zigzag
white lines, the lowest vermiculation being separated from
the white fringe by a beautiful pale blue band. The wings
are black vermiculated with white. The four outer pairs of
tail-feathers are almost entirely black; the others are black
diagonally vermiculated with white, the inner web of the
central pair being mostly white.
The irides are hazel; the soft skin of the face is scarlet ;
the bill yellowish. The specimen has the tail 14 inches in
length ; the wing 10 inches; the tarsus 3°3 inches.
5. GENNEUS LINEATUS.
Phasianus lineatus Vigors, P. Z.S. 1831, p. 24.
Euplocamus lineatus Elliot, Monogr. Phasianide, 11.
pl. xxiii. (1870-72) ; Hume & Oates, Stray Feathers, 111.
p- 165 (1875) ; Hume & Marshall, Game-Birds India, 1.
p- 206 (1878).
Genneus lineatus Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds B. M. xxu.
p- 304 (1893) ; Oates, Manual Game-Birds India, i. p. 351
(1898); Blanford, Fauna Brit. India, Birds, iv. p. 92 (1898).
This well-known Pheasant occurs throughout the country
east of the Irrawaddy River from the coast-line to a little
‘above Mandalay. To the east this species is found in
Noithern Tenasserim and in the lower hills which divide
Burma from the Shan States up to the Fort-Stedman road.
I have recently seen a specimen in Colonel Bingham’s col-
lection which was shot by Mr. H. N. ‘Thompson at Trans-
Salween Moukmai (N. lat. 20° and E. long. 98° 30’) at an
elevation of 2000 feet. This Pheasant does not appear to
occur higher.
Tle male may be recognised by its upper plumage, the
whole of which is very densely and more or less transversely
vermiculated with black and white, without a trace of fringes.
Silver-Pheasants of Burma. 101
The legs are brown and the lower plumage is black streaked
with white.
The female is of an umber-brown colour strongly tinged
with rufous. On the back of the neck and on the mantle
are numerous arrowhead-shaped white marks, while the
lower plumage is streaked with white, the streaks being not
more than one-sixth of an inch wide. Wing about 8°5 mches
~
in length; tail about 7°5 inches.
6. GENNAUS SHARPII.
Euplocamus crawfurdi apud Hume & Davison, Stray
Feathers, vi. p. 437 (1878) ; Hume & Marshall, Game-Birds
India, i. p. 204 (1878).
Genneus andersoni Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds B. M. xxii.
p- 806 (1893).
Genneus sharpii Oates, Manual Game-Birds India, pt. 1.
p- 357 (1898).
This species has a range which extends tor fully four
hundred miles from north to south. Davison procured it
near Papun in Northern Tenasserim, Colonel Wardlaw
Ramsay in Karennee. Colonel G. Rippon has lately sent
to the Natural History Museum a male shot on Loi-Mai
Mountain (N. lat. 20° 30’, E. long. 97° 30') at an elevation
of 6000 feet. Colonel Bingham has quite recently shown
me a skin procured by Mr. H. N. Thompson at Kengtung,
and Mr. Walter Rothschild has kindly sent me for inspec-
tion a fine male obtained at Mogok, in the Ruby-Mines
district.
The male of this species requires no separate description,
inasmuch as it very closely resembles that of G. rufipes.
It differs in having the legs flesh-coloured, not red; in
having the tail very much shorter, not exceeding 14 inches
in length ; and in having the inner webs of the primaries
mottled, not barred, with white. Wing about 10 inches in
length.
The female, however, is of quite a different type to that of
G. rufipes, and closely resembles the female of G. lineatus,
from which it differs merely in being Jarger, in having the
102 Mr. E. W. Oates on the
streaks on the lower plumage in adults much wider (about
a quarter of an inch wide) ; and in having the inner quills
narrowly and obliquely barred with buff. Wing about 9
inches in length ; tail 9°5 inches.
The male of G. deli (Oustalet, Bull. Mus. d’ Hist. Nat. 1898,
p-. 258) appears to resemble the male of G. sharpii, but to
have red legs. ‘The females of the two species probably differ
ina conspicuous manner.
le
7. GENNAUS HORSTIELDI.
Gallophasis horsfieldi Gray, Gen. Birds, 1i1. p. 498, pl. exxvi.
(1845).
Luplocamus horsfieldi Elliot, Monogr. Phasianide, ii.
pl. xx. (1870-72) ; Hume & Marshall, Game-Birds India,
ieplo7 (1878).
Genneus horsfieldi Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds B. M. xxii.
p. 802 (1893); Oates, Manual Game-Birds India, pt. i.
p- 334 (1898); Blanf. Fauna Brit. India, Birds, iv. p. 92
(1898).
This Pheasant inhabits a wide area, being found from
Bhutan and Assam down to Chittagong, Manipur, and
Upper Burma. I procured it at Bhamo and near Katha, and
Capt. W. G. Nisbett has sent specimens from the Namli
River, near Sadon, east of Myitkyina. These places pro-
bably indicate the line of its southern and eastern limits. It
appears to occur up to an elevation not exceeding 4000 feet.
The whole plumage is black, with a bluish gloss at the
tips of the feathers. Those of the rump and upper tail-
coverts are conspicuously fringed with white, and there are
no vermiculated lines on any part of the plumage. ‘The
fringes in some specimens are very narrow, in others very
broad, but the reason of this is not apparent. The legs seem
to vary considerably in colour, being dirty white, greenish,
or some shade of brown.
8. GENNA&US WICKHAMI.
Genneus wickhami Oates, Manual Game-Birds India, pt. ii.
p. 495 (1899).
The type specimen of this species was sent to me by
Silver-Pheasants of Burma, 103
Mr. P. F, Wickham, who procured it at Minken, about ten
miles south of Falam, in the Chin Hills, at an elevation of
some 5000 feet. This locality is in about 23° N. lat. and
94° E. long.
The male bird (the female is unknown) has the legs brown
and the whole lower plumage deep black. The mantle,
back, scapulars, and wing-coverts are black, finely but
irregularly vermiculated and speckled with pale buff, while
the feathers of the rump and upper tail-coverts are plain
black, broadly fringed with white. Wing 9°5 inches; tail
11 inches.
9. GENNAUS OATESI.
Genneus oatest Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds B. M. xxii. p. 805
(1893).
The type of this species, a unique specimen, has the lower
plumage of G. dineatus and the entire upper plumage finely
vermiculated with black and white, the feathers of the rump
and upper tail-coverts being fringed with white.
This specimen came to the British Museum from the
Zoological Society of London, and is said to have been
sent from Arrakan by Capt. Bogle.
When writing my ‘ Manual, [ carelessly omitted to notice
this type, and described in its place two Silver-Pheasants
that my collectors had obtained in the Arrakan Hills, which
must be assigned to G. cuvierit. My article on G. oatest in
the ‘ Manual’ (pt. i. p. 348) must therefore be cancelled and
the present note substituted for it.
10. GENNAUsS CUVIERI.
Lophophorus cuviert Temm. Pl. Col. v. pl. 10 [no. 1]
(1820).
Euplocamus cuviert Hume & Oates, Stray Feathers, iu.
p. 166 (footnote, 1875); Hume & Marshall, Game-Birds
India, i. p. 201 (1878).
Genneus cuviert Oxilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds B. M. xxii.
p- 303 (1893).
I wrote on this species with much doubt in my ‘ Manual,’
and I am now fully convinced that the Pheasants that my
104. Mr. E. W. Oates on the
collectors procured in the Arrakan Hills, which Mr. Ogilvie-
Grant assigned to G. oatest, were correctly identified with
G. cuviert by Mr. Hume when we wrote our joint account
of the birds of Pegu in 1875. Consequently my article on
G. cuvieri in the ‘Manual’ (pt. i. p. 345) must be cancelled.
Besides the two specimens above referred to, which were
shot on the Arrakan Hills in the latitude of Prome, there is
a third example of this species in the Natural History
Museum without any particular history, except that it is
said to have come from Arrakan.
The male has the whole upper plumage black, transversely
vermiculated with white. The rump-feathers are rather
narrowly fringed with white, the vermiculation next the
fringe being so near to it as almost, if not quite, to touch it.
The lower plumage is black throughout. The wings and
tail are black, more or less barred with white.
The female has the whole body-plumage of a rich umber-
brown, the upper parts freckled with blackish brown, the
breast-feathers marked with yellowish shaft-streaks. The
middle three pairs of tail-feathers are pale chestnut, closcly
and obliquely barred with black; the others are deep
chestnut mottled with black, chiefly on the inner web.
11. GENNZUS WILLIAMSI.
Genneus williamsi Oates, Manual Game-Birds India, pt. i.
p. 342 (1898).
Genneus turneri Finn, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. Ixix. pt. i.
p- 146 (1901).
_ This species has a wide range. The type specimens were
shot by Capt. F. T. Williams at Kalewa, on the Chindwin
River. Mr. Finn’s types were procured about twelve miies
south of the same place. Captain W. G. Nisbett has recently
sent me some examples from Upper Burma, namely, two
males from Moukkadoung Hill, 3000-4000 feet, in the Upper
Chindwin district; one male from Pinlabu; one from
Kyatthin ; and another from Wela—the last three localities
being all in the Wuntho district. Mr. P. F. Wickham
has also sent me a male bird from Yaw, in the Pakokku
district.
Silver-Pheasants of Burma. 105
This bird may therefore be said to inhabit the tract of
country lying between the Chin Hills and the Irrawaddy River
and between the 21st and 24th degrees of north latitude.
A male and female of this species are in the British
Museum, catalogued under the name of G. cuviert. They
were sent, probably alive, to the Zoological Society of London
by Capt. Bogle many years ago, and are said to have been
taken in Arrakan. The locality requires confirmation.
The male has the whole upper plumage black, rather
coarsely vermiculated with pale buff in younger birds, finely
and sparingly with white in older birds. The feathers of the
rump are very broadly fringed with white, the black space
between the first vermiculation and the fringe being as broad
as the latter. The inner webs of the primaries are almost
plain black in old birds, vermiculated with buff in those
that are younger. ‘The tail-feathers are black, marked with
narrow oblique lines of pale buff, the three outer pairs being
almost entirely black. The lower plumage is wholly black.
Tail about 10 inches in length.
The female has the general colour of the upper plumage
umber-brown, minutely freckled with black. The lower
plumage is brown, each feather edged with greyish white
and with a conspicuous greyish white shaft-streak. The
two middle tail-feathers are chestnut, mottled with black ;
the others are black obliquely barred with white, the outer-
most becoming almost entirely black. Tail about 8 inches
in length.
12. GENNAZUS DAVISONI.
Genneus davisoni Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds B. M. xxit.
p- 304 (1893).
Genneus andersoni (Elliot) ; Oates, Manual Game-Birds
India, pt. i. p. 3387 (1898).
The type specimen of this species was sent to the British
Museum by the late Dr. John Anderson, and I have already
explained the reasons which led me to treat it as a specimen
of G. andersoni and to suppress the name G. davisoni.
By the acquisition of an undoubted specimen of G. ander-
106 Ifans, Graf von Berlepsch on the
soni, sent by Colonel G. Rippon, the specific distinctness of
G. davisons has been fully established.
The type specimen was procured to the north-east of
Bhamo, and we know nothing more about the distribution
of this species. The female is unknown.
The male has the hind-neck, mantle, back, wing-coverts,
and seapulars black, each feather rather finely marked with
zigzag white lines parallel to the margins of the webs,
aud each pair of such lines forming a spoon-shaped pattern.
The rump and upper tail-coverts are black, with more or less
transverse zigzag vermiculations, while each feather is fringed
with white, the first vermiculation and the white fringe being
separated by a black band. The lower plumage is entirely
black. The middle tail-feathers are black, with white limes
parallel to the shaft ; the three outer pairs are almost entirely
black, and the intermediate pairs are progressively less marked
with white lines than the middle feathers. ‘The wings are
black obliquely barred with white. The wing measures 9°5
inches; the tail about 11 inches.
X.—On the Genera Xenerpestes and Metopothrix.
By Hans, Graf von Beriepscnu.
I. XENERPESTES.
In a third article on the birds collected by Mr. J. Stolz-
mann in Ecuador, published in the ‘ Proceedings of the
Zoological Society’ for 1885, the late Dr. L. Taczanowski,
in concert with me, has described and figured a curious
bird under the name of Synallaxis singularis *.
Unfortunately my friend Taczanowski did not at that time
send me the bird itself for examination, but merely a descrip-
tion of it, from which I satisfied myself that it belonged to
an undescribed species quite unknown to me. Taczanowski
placed it in the genus Synallaxis, admitting at the same
time that it was an abnormal species of that genus.
Through the kindness of Mr. Stolzmann, I have lately
* Tacz. & Berl. P. 4. 5, 1885, p. 96, pl. vil. fig. 2.
Genera Xenerpestes and Metopothrix. 107
had an opportunity of examining the type of Synallaxis singu-
laris, belonging to the Branicki Museum at Warsaw, and I
am now in a position to affirm positively that it is no Synal-
laxis at all, but belongs to Xenerpestes—a genus proposed by
me in ‘The Ibis’ (1886, p. 54) for a strange-looking bird
from Buearamanga, Colombia, viz. X. minlosi Berl.—of
which genus it forms a second species.
In fact, S. singularis agrees with X. min/osi in all essential
generic characters. The form of the bill is nearly the same,
being but a little shorter and broader and less curved in its
apical portion. There is hardly any difference in the form
of the wings and the tail. The legs and the toes, with their
claws, are quite of the same structure.
Regarding coloration, there is at least a great analogy in
the general distribution of colours to be observed when the
two species are compared closely together.
The frontal feathers in S. singularis are short and stiff, as
in X. minlosi, but while in X. min/osi they are blackish, like
the rest of the pileum, with narrow whitish shaft-stripes,
they are of a bright uniform rufous in S. singularis. The
posterior part of the crown and all the remaining upper
parts are of a uniform olivaceous grey in the latter species,
while in the former the back is of a darker and purer ashy
grey, without any olivaceous suffusion.
The tail-feathers are nearly the same colour in the two
species.
The broad white wing-bands of X. mindosi, formed by the
white tips of the longest and middle wing-coverts, are wanting
in S. singularis; uevertheless they are indicated by slight
whitish margins or apical points to be observed on several of
the larger and middle wing-coverts. Unfortunately this
feature is not indicated in the coloured figure of S. singularis.
The blackish spots on the under parts of the body in
S. singularis are also indicated in the young of the other
species (see description in ‘ Ibis,’ 1886, p. 54). The white
superciliary stripe and the white ground-colour of the under
parts are slightly tinged with yellowish, but not so much as
would appear from the coloured figure. In X. min/osi these
108 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on
parts are certainly of a purer white, without the yellowish
tinge to be found in the other species.
The white margins to the inner webs of the outer tail-
feathers noticeable in X. mindosi are wanting in S. singularis.
On the other hand, the white apical margins to the tertiaries,
well represented in the latter bird, are not to be found in
X. minlosi or are but slightly indicated.
Thus we have now two species of Xenerpesiles, viz.:—
1. X. minlosi Berl. Hab. Bucaramanga (Colombia).
2. X. singularis (Tacz. & Berl.). Hab. Mapoto (Ecuador).
II. Meroporurix.
Having lately found in a collection made on the Rio
Putumayo, S.E. Colombia, by the late Mr. Gustav Hopke
a specimen of Metopothrix aurantiacus Scl. & Salv. (a bird
hitherto unknown to me), I have made what I regard to be
another important discovery, viz., that this bird is not a
Piprine form, as was believed by its describers, but a Den-
drocolaptine, closely allied to Xenerpestes, and agreeing with
it in general characters of structure, viz., in having the same
curved bill, with prominent swollen tomie at the base of the
upper mandible*, and also in exhibiting short stiff frontal
feathers, though differing, of course, very much in the style
of coloration.
I think that there can be no longer any question as to Meto-
pothrix beg removed from the Pipride and placed in the
family Dendrocolaptide not far from Xenerpestes.
Schloss Berlepsch, November 1902.
XI.— Additional Remarks on certain Species of American
Galline. By W. R. Ocitvis-Granr.
In the July number of the ‘Auk?’ (1902, pp. 309-311)
Mr. J. A. Allen has criticized my identifications of certain
recently described North-American Game-Birds (cf. Ibis,
1902, pp. 233-245).
* This character is to be found in nearly all Dendrocolaptide, being
especially conspicuous in the species of the genus Synallaavs.
certain Species of American Galline. 109
Firstly, as regards Lagopus leucurus altipetens Osgood, a
supposed new subspecies from Colorado, shown to be identical
with typical L. lewcurus Swains. & Rich. Mr, Allen appa-
rently admits the correctness of this identification; for he
doubts whether birds from latitude 54° in the Rocky Moun-
tains, the type-region of L. leucurus, are separable from the
Colorado bird. This was the ouly point entered into in my
notes. Mr. Allen, however, for some unaccountable reason,
says that my “ comparison of specimens from Colorado and
the Cascade Mountains has no bearing on the case. The status
of the Alaskan form, which is the question at issue, is not
touched. . . . Mr. Osgood should probably have named the
Alaskan form instead of that from Colorado.” The fact
remains that he did not do so; and Mr. Allen’s half-
page of criticism is therefore somewhat superfluous. It is
almost unnecessary to add that the White-tailed Ptarmigan
from Alaska, though only one female specimen in autumn
plumage was available for comparison, was named without
loss of time, and now appears as L. J. peninsularis (ef.
Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. N. H. xvi. p. 236). As a sub-
species it will no doubt compare favourably with the various
forms of L. rupestris recognised by American ornithologists.
As regards the discussion about the Canada Grouse and
the Turkeys, it would be a waste of space to continue so
unprofitable a controversy ; but I should like to acknow-
ledge Mr. Allen’s apologies respecting Vieillot’s name of
the North-American Turkey (¢f. Auk, 1902, p. 420), and
to thank him for them.
In the October number of the ‘ Auk’ (1902, pp. 336-391,
pls. xiv. & xv.) Mr. E. W. Nelson has published a series of
notes in which he attempts to justify his belief in the existence
of other North-American and Mexican species of Game- Birds
which I was unable to recognise as distinct. Having already
given my reasons for proposing to suppress a number of these
names, it is unnecessary to repeat them. There are, how-
ever, certain points in Mr. Nelson’s paper which cannot be
allowed to pass without remark,
a
110 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on
+-CoLiNus VIRGINIANUS MacuLaTus Nelson.
I have again looked over our series of C. texanus, and
compared typical male examples from Western Texas with
males from Tamaulipas obtained at Xicotencal, Sota la
Marina, and Sierra Madre, above Ciudad Victoria, which
must be typical of Mr. Nelsou’s C. v. maculatus, and again
I fail to see any differences whatever between them. The
male from Alta Mira (cf. Ank, xix. pl. xiv. fig. 6) is
apparently an abnormally dark specimen, while the photo-
graph of the typical C. tevanus (fig.5) must have been taken
from an unusually light bird.
In the original description of C. v. maculatus (cf. Auk,
Xvi. p. 26) we read :—
“ Lower neck and fore part of breast usually plain dull
rufous ; rest of lower parts, including lower tail-coverts, of
the same colour, heavily marked on borders of feathers with
black and white s: ots on sides of feathers near tips.”
In the description of plate xiv. we find the same specimen
described as having :—
“Breast and rest of under parts to crissum dark rufous,
spotted and mottled more or less sparingly with black and
white.”
Which of these two descriptions are we to accept as
correct ?
It is evident from the “ Remarks ” added to the original
description that Mr. Nelson’s series of C. v. maculatus
exhibits considerable variation infer se, for he writes :—
’
~The series at hand shews conclusively that C. v. teranus
grades through the present bird directly into O. (sic) gray-
soni, thus rcducing the latter to a subspecies of O. (sic)
virginianus.” Mr. Nelson can hardly expect ornithologists
to accept this extraordinary statement! C. graysoni belongs
to an entirely different section of the genus.
;- CoLINUS GRAYsONT NIGRIPECTUS Nelson.
Mr. Nelson now finds that the type of this “ subspecies ”
has nothing to do with C. graysoni, but differs from C. pec-
torulis, to which I re‘erred it, in being decidedly larger.
certain Species of American Gallinz. 1
Both Dr. Sharpe and TI examined the typical specimen of
C. g. nigripectus sent to the British Museum for com-
parison, and were unable to distinguish it from the type of
C. pectoralis. Dr, Sharpe subsequently wrote to Mr. Nelson
to that effect.
+ Coxinus minor Nelson.
In the original description of this specics (ef. Auk, xviii.
p. 47) we read :—
“Rest of head and broad collar around lower border of
white throat-patch black.”
In ‘ Auk,’ xix., in the description of plate xiv., we find
the type las a
“ Narrow, poorly-defined black collar below white ihroat-
patch, &c.”
How are we to reconcile these two statements? Can the
Quail change its collar ?
~- CyRTONYX MONTEZUM& MEARNSI Nelson.
As regards C. m. mearnsi, 1 may remark that, while
admitting that the size of the white spots on the sides and
flanks varies in different individuals of C. montezume, 1
would point out that this cannot be of any geographical
significance, since a large-spotted male spec men from Puebla
is quite indistinguishable from those obtained in South-
western ‘Texas and Arizona. Lvery intermediate stage
connecting the largest- and smallest-spotted specimens can
be found.
+ Cyrtonyx merrraAmt Nelson.
On p. 391 of Mr. Nelson’s paper, under the heading
Cyrtonyx merriami, which, after reading his original de-
scription (cf. Auk, xv. p. 48), I placed as a synonym of
C. salieri («f. Ibis, 1992, p. 242), I find the following :—
“The foregomg authoritative disposal of C. merriami
made me almost fear that Mr. Grant held the power to make
the ‘tiger change his spots.2. On examination of the type
of C. merriami, however, I find that the color-characters
between it, C. montezume, and C. sallei are such that a
photograph brings out some of the most salient differences.”
112 On certain Species of American Gallinze.
We never heard of the tiger changing his spots; but
if we may believe what Mr. Nelson writes, his “ Quail”
is undoubtedly able to do so. In the original description
of C. merriami we find the following :—
“ On the posterior portion of the flanks the white spotting
is replaced by spots of buffy and chestnut.”
In the October number of the ‘ Auk,’ on the sheet facing
plate xv., we find the same specimen described :—
* Distribution of color on sides of breast and flanks
similar to same in C. montezume, but ground-color paler
grey and white spots smaller.”
Which of these descriptions is correct? Obviously both
cannot be, and, so far as one can judge from the indif-
ferent photograph on plate xv., the type specimen agrees
with the latter description and has the entire flanks spotted
with white.
Turning again to the original description of C. merriamz,
we read that the light shaft-streaks on the back of the neck
become more intensely coloured posteriorly, ‘ until on the
larger scapulars and teruaries they are almost or quite
chestnut’; that the tertiaries are marked with oblong black
spots, more like bars; and that the chestnut area on the
breast and belly is of a /ighter shade than in C. montezume.
Any “competent ornithologist” reading the above, and
bearing in mind the duff and chestnut spotting on the flanks,
must be aware that the type of C. merriami should not have
been compared with C. montezwme but with C. sal/ei, which
possesses all these characteristics.
Now it will be seen that the type shown in the photograph is
a very different bird, apparently a specimen of C. montezume !
The fact that in the type of C. merriami the black on
the throat jos the chestnut on the breast without the
intervention of a white collar is probably a mere individual
character, and of little importance as specific or sub-
specific. It may even be caused by the ‘ make-up” of the
skin, for the white collar in C. sal/ei is at best very narrow.
The British Museum possesses two male specimens of
C. texanus, which are unquestionably merely individual
Recently published Ornithological Works. 113
varieties, with the chin and middle of the throat black, as in
the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix), instead of pure
white. The knowledge that such individual variation may
and does occur should make writers cautious in accepting
such a character as of any specific value.
I must mention that the bird figured by Mr. Nelson as
C. sallei does not appear to be of that species, but that the
photograph does not shew up the characters very clearly.
These are a few instances of the inaccuracy of Mr. Nelson’s
descriptions ; and it is evident that his “ intimate knowledge
of the topography and geographic distribution ” does not
necessarily establish his claims as an ornithologist.
I may add that, for those who have not had the advantage
of twelve years’ travel in Mexico, an exceptionally good
atlas, with large maps of each State, is available, viz. Cuba’s
‘Atlas Geografico y Estadistico de los Estados Unidos
Mexicanos’ (Mexico, 1886).
XII.—WNotices of recent Ornithological Publications.
1. ‘Annals of Scottish Natural History.’
[The Annals of Scottish Natural History. No. 43, July 1902, and
No, 44, October 1902. |
Mr. T. G. Laidlaw’s valuable ‘‘ Report on the Movements
and Occurrence of Birds in Scotland during 1901” is con-
tinued in the July number and concluded in that of October.
The same remark applies to Mr. Harvie-Brown’s contribution
to the avifauna of the Outer Hebrides, with the exception that
the species treated by him reach no further than the Rallidz,
so that we must wait until January for the conclusion of
this paper. Every student of the distribution of birds in
North Britain will read these articles with attention, but
the principal rarities have been already recorded; as regards
the minor notices, there are none which call for special
remark in these pages. Hi. 3.
SER. VIMI.— VOL, IIL. I
114 Recently published Ornithological Works.
2. Arrigoni degli Oddi on the Harlequin Duck in Italy.
[Cattura di due “ Cosmonette histrionicee ” (Moretta arlecchino) per la
prima volta in Italia communicazione di Guido Falconieri di Carpergna
per parte del Conte Prof. Ettore Arrigoni degli Oddi. Boll. Soc. Zool.
Ttal. (ser. 3) Ann. xi. 1902.)
The occurrence of the Harlequin Duck (Cosmonetta his-
trionica) in Italy is now registered for the first time. Two
young examples of this high northern form were obtained
in the estuary of the Po on the 2nd of March, 1902.
3. ‘The Auk’
[The Auk. A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. Vol. xix. Nos. 3 & 4,
July and October 1902.]
In the July number Mr. H. W. Henshaw gives a very
interesting account of the species of the genus Chasiempis
found on the Hawaiian Islands and their distribution over
that group. Mr. John Grant Wells follows with an article
on the Water-birds of the island of Carriacou, a dependency
of Grenada, and situated about twenty miles to the north-
ward of it. Its Land-birds are enumerated in the October
part. Owing to the absence of forest, several woodland
species found in St. Vincent and Granada are not repre-
sented in Carriacou, but its extensive swamps are highly
attractive to aquatic and wading birds, and the notes on the
species which breed there are of considerable interest. Mr. W.
Hubbell Fisher, having had his attention called, by a passage
in Mr. F. M. Headley’s ‘ Structure and Life of Birds’ (1895),
to the use of the bastard wing for checking flight in the
domestic Pigeon, has found, from study and photographs
taken at Munich, that this natural “break” is also put
‘hard down” by the Stork when preparing to alight. Dr.
Jonathan Dwight’s paper on Plumage-cycles and the relation
between Plumages and Moults requires close study, and an
abstract would hardly do it justice, but his table illus-
trative of the sequence of these changes has a plausible
appearance and may stand the test of extended use. British
ornithologists will take especial interest in Mr. O. P. Hay’s
account of the finding of some bones of the Great Auk in a
Recently published Ornithological Works. 115
large and ancient Indian “ midden” on the coast of Florida.
The birds to which these bones belonged may possibly have
been captured some distance to the northward; but, in any
case, this discovery is a strong confirmation of the accu-
racy of Catesby’s statement (1731-43) that the “ Penguin”
was found in winter off Carolina. Mr. Austin H. Clarke
gives a list of 57 species and subspecies of birds obtained on
Margarita Island, Venezuela, where Capt. Wirt Robinson
found 73 during a longer visit in 1895. The unusual
abundance of the Snowy Owl in Canada and New England
during the winter of 1901-02 forms the subject of a paper by
Mr. Ruthven Deane, and it would appear that exceptionally
large flights of this bird occur at intervals of ten or fifteen
years; near Belle Isle Strait the fishermen had “ been living
on them,” and outside Toronto many had been taken or shot
‘‘ while feeding on dead horses or cattle.” Among the general
notes are records of our Old-World Wigeon in Michigan
and an account of the destruction of Phalaropus fulicarius
on migration by striking a lighthouse in North Carolina.
The eleventh Supplement to the American Ornithologists’
Union Check-list of North-American Birds must be studied
by the systematist, and the writer of this review may be
pardoned an expression of satisfaction at noticing the
elimination of Larus argentatus smithsonianus—thanks to the
broad views of Prof. J. A. Allen and others.
In the October part, Mr. B. 8. Bowdish gives the first
portion of a list of the birds of Porto Rico, which he began
to study in 1898. Mr. Robert E. Snodgrass has a rather
long (15 pp.) paper on the genus Geospiza of the Galapagos,
the gist of which is that there is no correlation between the
food and the size of the bill, and that an explanation of the
variation of the Geospizine bill must be sought elsewhere.
Mr. E. W. Nelson’s “ Nomenclature and Validity of certain
North-American Galline” brings us to contentious matter
between him and Mr, Ogilvie-Grant, and, inasmuch as the
remarks of the latter are appearing in our pages, we abstain
from offering an opinion, but reference may be made to
‘“‘Correspondence ” in ‘The Auk,’ p.419. Mr. W. A. Bryan’s
12
116 Recent’y published Ornithological Works.
record of occurrences of the Arctic Tern (Sterna macrura)
in the Hawaiian Islands helps to fill in the links in the
chain of distribution of this species. H.S.
4. § The Avicultural Magazine.’
(The Avicultural Magazine; being the Journal of the Avicultural
Society for the Study of Foreign and British Birds. Vol. viii. Nos. 11
and 12, 1902. ]
These two parts of the ‘ Avicultural Magazine’ contain
a large number of papers of considerable interest, for the
most part concerned with but one kind of bird; but Mr. J.
L. Bonhote’s “ Field Notes on some Bahama Birds” is a
notable exception. He gives a good idea of the nature of
the country and of the habits of the various species.
5. Benham on an Egg of the Moa.
[Note on an Entire Ege of a Moa, now in the Museum of the Univer-
sity of Otago. By W. B. Benham, D.Sc., M.A., F.Z.S. Trans. & Proce.
N.Z. Inst. xxxiv. pp. 149-151, pl. vii., 1902. ]
” of a
The author describes the “ absolutely uninjured egg
Moa, which was brought up by a “ dredge-hand ” working
on the Barnscleugh gold-dredge in the river Molyneux,
Otago, and is now in the Otago Museum. A second egg
was obtained by the same man about two months later.
Its length was 7? inches, its breadth 53 inches, and its
equatorial circumference 162 inches. The egg is figured on
a reduced scale.
6. Berlepsch on new South-American Birds.
[Mitteilungen iiber neue und seltene siidamerikanische Végel. Von
Graf Hans von Berlepsch. Verh. d. V. Intern. Zool. Congr. z, Berlin.
Jena, 1902. }
Graf v. Berlepsch describes a new Tinamou, Nothoprocta
fulvescens, from S.E. Peru (Garlepp), and makes remarks
on other rare birds from 8. America (Chlorochysa, Penelope,
Aygialitis, &e.).
Recently published Ornithological Works. L7
7. Boutourlin on some Birds of Eastern Livonia.
[Zametki o Nickotorykh Ptitzakh bostotchnoi Liflandii. S.A. Bou-
tourlina. Iz Drevnika Zoologitcheskavootdieleniya Imperatorskavo
Obschestvaliubitelci estestvoznaniya, t. iii, no. 3, Moskva, 1902. }
These notes refer to the country round Marienburg
in the district of Valk, where it seems that the brown-
backed form of the Marsh-Titmouse (Parus palustris) is
the common species, and not Parus borealis as stated by
Prof. Menzbier. The Starling of those parts is Sturnus
sophie Bianchi, which, Mr. Boutourlin says, is always dis-
tinguishable from Sturnus vulgaris. It is also stated that
Mergus serrator breeds commonly in East-central Livonia,
in lat. 57° 26’ N. and long. 44° 48’ E. FL... DB:
8. Brewster on North-American Birds,
[On the Occurrence in Massachusetts of certain rare or interesting
Birds. By W. Brewster. Auk, 1901, pp. 185-187.
An Ornithological Mystery. By W. Brewster. Tom. cit. pp. 821-828.
An undescribed Form of the Black Duck (Anas obscura). By W.
Brewster. Op. cit. 1992, pp. 183-188. |
In the first of these articles the subjects are Mareca
penelope, Nettion crecca, Anser albifrons gambeli, Rallus
crepitans, Hematopus palliatus, and Striv pratincola; im
the second is contained an account of the voice of an
unknown Rail heard at Cambridge, U.S.A.; in the third a
new subspecies, Anas obscura rubripes, is proposed,
9. Coburn’s Ornithological Expedition to North Iceland.
[Brief Notes on an Expedition to the North of Iceland in 1899, By
F. Coburn. Zool. 1901, pp. 401-419. }
Mr. Coburn gives us a most interesting account of his
explorations in the north of Iceland, while the information
that he provides shews that new discoveries are still to be
made even in countries that have apparently been well
worked as regards their ornithology. His observations
extend to some sixty-six species of birds, among which
may be mentioned a Redwing which has been described
as a new form (Zurdus coburni) by Dr. Sharpe (Bull,
118 Recently published Ornithological Works.
B. O. C. xii. p. 28). Mr. Coburn, moreover, considers
the Meadow-Pipit of the island separable from <Anthus
pratensis, as did Faber before him; but more important in
our eyes than these identifications are the reports of the
breeding of Hornemann’s Redpoll and the American Wigeon,
coupled with the discovery of the exact nesting-place of the
Grey Lag Goose.
10. Coburn on Anser gambeli.
[On the Specific Validity of Anser gambeli (Hartlaub) and its position
as 4 British Bird. Zool. 1902, pp. 837-351.]
The author expresses his complete agreement with Mr. J.
H. Gurney’s contention that Anser gambeli, A. albifrons,
and A. erythropus are distinct species. He says that, in
addition to the fact that A. gambdeli has a larger and heavier
bill and darker under parts than A. albifrons, it has also
a considerably longer neck. In the immature and breeding
stages the birds are much more easily distinguishable than
in that of winter, as will be seen from the descriptions given
in the article. All the specimens are from Ireland, and shew
changes of coloration independent of the moult.
eH Phe Emu?
[The Emu, a Quarterly Magazine to popularize the Study and Protec-
tion of Native Birds. Vol. ii, pts. 1 &-2.. July and October, 1902.
Melbourne. |
The official organ of the Australasian Ornithologists’
Union, edited by Messrs. A. J. Campbell and A. Kendall,
continues to make steady progress, and we have now before
us the two first numbers of the second volume. Capt. Hut-
ton, of Christchurch, N.Z., contributes a good paper on
Penguins; Mr. A. G. Campbell writes of the birds of
N.E. Victoria; and Mr. R. Hall continues his notes on a
collection from the Fitzroy River in North-western Aus-
tralia, where many rare species are found. An enormous
nest-mound of the Mallee-bird (Lipoa ocellata) is described
and figured by Mr. Milligan.
Recently published Ornithological Works. its
12. Erlanger on the Ornithology of Abyssinia, Galla-land,
and Somali-land.
[Zoogeographie und Ornithologie von Abyssinien den Galla- und
Somali-Lindern, Von Carlo, Freiherrn von Erlanger. Ber, Senckenb.
nat. Ges. 1902, p. 155. ]
This is an address delivered before the Senckenbergian
Society of Frankfort-a.-M. by Carlo, Freiherr v. Erlanger,
on the 8th of March, 1902, concerning his recent expedition
through Somali-land, Galla-land, and Southern Abyssinia.
The route is clearly shown on an accompanying map, and
the lecture contains much useful information on the geo-
graphy and ornithology of the various districts traversed.
The writer made a large collection of bird-skins—about
8000 in all, referable to some 800 species—concerning which
we shall, no doubt, hear much more, when they have been
thoroughly worked out. Hight new species have already
been described in the ‘ Ornithologische Monatsbericht ”
I0t p- Usk).
13. Finn on Abrupt Variation.
[On some Cases of Abrupt Variation in Indian Birds, By F. Finn,
B.A. F-ZS8. J.A.9.B. Ixxi. pt. ii. pp. 81-85.]
The author discusses albinistic variation in Dissemurus
paradiseus, Atthiopsar fuscus, Acridotheres tristis, and
Machetes pugnaxr, and gives a note on Gallus pseudher-
maphroditus of Blyth.
14. Fisher on vanishing Game-Birds.
(Two vanishing Game-Birds: the Woodcock and the Wood Duck.
By A. K. Fisher, Reprint from the Yearbook of Department of Agri-
culture (Washington) for 1901, pp. 447-458. ]
The two birds mentioned being in great danger of extinc-
tion, attention is called in this paper to the advisability of
protecting them, and methods of procedure are suggested.
Tables are also given to shew the close and open seasons in
the various States.
120 Recently published Ornithological Works.
15. Gadow on Phalacrocorax harrisi.
[The Wings and Skeleton of Phalacrocorax harrisi. By H. Gadow.
Noy. Zool, ix. p. 169.]
Dr. Gadow describes the wings and the skeleton of the
great flightless Cormorant of the Galapagos, Phalacrocoraxr
harrisi, discovered in 1897 (see Ibis, 1900, p. 206), and points
out its extraordinary peculiarities.
This Cormorant has the functional primaries reduced to
nine and the secondaries to fifteen in number; the bones of
the wing, moreover, are much inferior in length and strength
to those of the ordinary species. Other differences are care-
fully pointed out and illustrated by two plates.
16. Hartert on his Travels and Researches.
{Aus den Wanderjahren eines Naturforschers. Von Ernst Hartert.
IIte, TiIte, & IV Abschnitt. Nov. Zool. ix. pp. 193-272. ]
Mr. Hartert continues, and brings to a conclusion, the
very interesting account of his travels and expeditions in
various parts of the world, of which we have already noticed
the first portion (cf. Ibis, 1902, p. 150).
The first of the three sections now given relates to Sumatra,
Malacca, and India. As regards Sumatra, the author gives
a complete list of the birds as yet recorded—from his own
researches and those of others—to occur in the vicinity of
Deli, and enumerates 212 species, adding many valuable
notes. There are no less than nine Hornbills in this district,
among which are some of the largest and the mest remark-
able of the family, such as Bucervs rhinoceros and Rhinoplar
vigil. The third chapter of the second section is devoted to
Salanga, an island off the south coast of the Malay Peninsula,
which the author visited in 1888. It seems to be a most
attractive place. Its avifauna had been already worked at
by Aug. Miiller (v. J. f. O. 1882), but Mr. Hartert was
able to make some additions.
Mr. Hartert then proceeded to the protected State of
Perak (where our friend Sir Hugh Low first introduced the
pax Britannica) and found it a “ paradise for zoologists,”
Recently published Ornithological Works. 121
while it is hardly less attractive to the student of “ Wild
Man.” A visit to Gunong Ijau- may be strongly recom-
mended to any traveller in this part of the world. From
Calcutta, whither he now proceeded with the late William
Doherty, visits were made to some of the most interesting
places in British India, and amongst other great sights
a view of Kinchinjunga from Darjeeling was obtained,
and the wonders of Benares, Agra, Delhi, and Jaipur were
inspected. Bird-notes were made at all these places. The
return home was effected by Bombay, Aden, and the Suez
Canal.
In the third section of his travels Mr. Hartert takes us to
the New World, where he visited some of the less-known
Caribee Islands and the adjacent mainland. In May 1892,
accompanied by his wife, he crossed the Atlantic to St. Thomas
and La Guaira, whence an excursion was made to Caracas.
Then the three Dutch West-Indian Islands of Curacao,
Aruba, and Bonaire were thoroughly explored, and materials
were accumulated for the excellent memoir on the birds of
those islands published in this Journal (Ibis, 1893, p. 289).
A revised synopsis of the ornithology of the three isiands is
now given, 56 species being enumerated ; while Colturniculus
savannarum caribeus and Xanthornus icterus ridgwayt are
introduced as new subspecies.
The fourth and last section of Mr. Hartert’s “ Naturalist’s
Journal” gives us an account of his spring-visit to Morocco
and Teneriffe in 1901. After touching at Gibraltar and
Casablanca, a most interesting excursion into the interior
was made from Mazagan, and several scarce birds were met
with (e. g., Francolinus bicalcaratus and Comatibis eremita).
From Mazagan our traveller crossed the sea to Teneriffe, and,
after a short but enjoyable stay there, returned home by
Madeira.
The final chapter of Mr. Hartert’s journal is devoted to a
review of the birds of Mazagan and Middle Morocco, in
which 83 species are treated. Several new “subspecies ”
are given—Turdus merula mauritanicus, T. m. cabrere (from
Teneriffe), Passer hispaniolensis malte (from Malta), and
122 Recently published Ornithological Works.
Galerida cristata riggenbachi (from Mazagan) ; while a new
genus (Diplooticus) is proposed for Ruticilla moussieri, which,
however, in our opinion is quite unnecessary, though the
bud certainly has somewhat of the habits of a Pratincola.
17. Hartert on the Birds of the Kangean Islands.
[The Birds of the Kangean Islands. By Ernst Hartert. Nov. Zool.
ix. p. 419.]
The Kangean Islands lie north of Bali and due east of
Madura in the Java Sea. Dr. Vorderman is the only
naturalist who has visited them (see Nat. Tijdschr. v. Ned.
Ind. li. 1893). Mr. Prillwitz has now sent a collection to
the Trmg Museum, upon which the present paper is based.
It enumerates 78 species, the majority of which are naturally
of Javan origin. Dicrurus suluensis from Sulu and D,
dohertyi from Obi Major are described as new, and Mixornis
prillwitzi, M. everetti, and M. flavicollis are figured on
plate xi.
18. Hett on Popular and Local Bird-names.
[A Glossary of Popular, Local, and Old-fashioned Names of British
3irds. By Chas, Louis Hett. 12mo. London: Sotheran & Co., 1902.
Pp. 114. Price 1s.]
This compilation will be found of considerable use to those
who work at British Birds, as the glossary seems fairly
exhaustive, while the List of the British Ornithologists’
Union is reprinted in addition.
19. Johnston on the Birds of Uganda.
[The Uganda Protectorate, an attempt to give some Description of the
Physical Geography, Botany, Zoology, Anthropology, Languages, and
History of the Territories under British Protection in Kast Central Africa,
between the Congo Free State and the Rift Valley and between the first
Degree of South Latitude and the fifth Degree of North Latitude. By
Sir Harry Johnston, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., &e. 2 vols. Royal 8vo.
London, 1902. Hutchinson & Co.]
Sir Harry Johnston’s Monograph of Uganda is, of course,
~ not a “bird-book”’ in the ordinary sense of the term; but
Recently published Ornithological Works. 123
it contains a great deal about birds and should be studied by
every ornithologist. It is the best illustrated book that we
have ever seen, containing more than 500 text-figures taken
from drawings and photographs by the author and his friends,
besides 48 fully coloured plates prepared by the author, and
an instructive set of maps. Many of the coloured plates
illustrate characteristic forms of African bird-life, such as
Touracos, Barbets, Baleniceps, Nettapus, and Helotarsus.
They are somewhat artistic in treatment, no doubt, but give
a much better idea of the appearance of such remarkable
forms to the field-naturalist than would be obtained from
plates prepared from stuffed specimens.
In the course of his first six chapters the author pilots
his readers over one of the most diversified portions of
tropical Africa, from the low wastes of the Eastern Province
across the Mau Plateau to snowy Ruwenzori and the great
Congo Forest. Frequent allusions to birds and their ways
will be found throughout, both in the text and in the
figures. The account of the climb up Ruwenzori is of the
greatest interest. Sir Harry believes that the highest point
of this massive range of mountains will be found to reach to
an altitude of nearly 20,000 feet, and to be the highest land
in Africa. Here is a fine field for the exploring naturalist,
as yet almost untouched !
The last chapter of the first volume of Sir Harry’s work
is devoted to a general sketch of the zoology of Uganda.
The avifauna of Uganda is graphically described as follows :—
“The Uganda Protectorate is very rich in birds. In no
other part of Africa that I have ever visited has bird-life
seemed so abundant and so omni-present. In attempting to
describe the landscape in the first chapters of this book, it
has been constantly necessary to refer to the bird-element in
the scenery. The least observant European sojourner in the
Rift Valley must be conscious of the black chats with white
patches on their wings, hopping about the settlements,
courting, singing, fluttering their wings, and turning back
their tails. The flamingos on Lakes Naivasha and Han-
nington, the colleges of marabou storks, the companies
124 Recently published Ornithological Works.
of crowned cranes, the solitary stalking secretary-bird, the
wheeling kites, the griffon-vultures, the black and white
Hgyptian vultures with yellow beaks and yellow legs, the
gorgeous, glossy starlings, with their plumage of iridescent
blue-green and copper-red, the brightly coloured or extraya-
gantly plumed widow-finches and weaver-birds are all
familiar objects in the landscapes of the Eastern Province.
The grey parrots, and the many richly plumed plantain-
eaters and turacos in the forests of the Central, Western,
and Uganda Provinces, the screaming fish-eagles, the brown
Necrosyrtes vultures, the grey Spizaetus eagles, and the
handsome bataleur and black-crested eagles, the sun-birds,
barbets, green parrots, green pigeons, blue and mauve
rollers are seldom absent from one’s sight in the daytime
as one traverses the forests and the grassy down-country
in Uganda, Toro, Busoga, and Elgon. The shores of the
Victoria Nyanza and of the other lakes, the marshes and
back-waters of the Nile, are frequented by countless water-
birds, by whale-headed storks and saddle-billed storks, by
herons of gigantic size or minute rail-like form—herons
that are snow-white in many species, or dark slaty blue or
fawn-colour; by spur-winged geese, Egyptian geese, knob-
nosed ducks, and the exquisite little ‘pygmy goose’; by
pelicans, cormorants, and darters, to name only a few
among the more prominent types.”
A “tentative list” of the birds hitherto recorded from
the Uganda Protectorate, prepared by Mr. Charles Chubb,
and arranged according to the classification of the new
‘ Hand-list, contains the names of 771 species, to which
many more will, no doubt, have to be added.
20. Legge on the Birds of Tasmania.
[Notes on the Birds of Tasmania: Systematic List of Tasmanian
Birds. By Col. W. V. Legge, F.L.S., &c. Papers & Proc. R. Soc.
Tasmania, 1900-1901, p. 90.}
Our old friend Col. Legge, President of the Australasian
Ornithologists’ Union, contributes a revised systematic list
of the birds of the Colony in which he now resides to
Recently published Ornithotogical Works. 125
the ‘Papers and Proceedings’ of the Royal Society of
Tasmania. A short preface explains the causes of the
poverty of the Tasmanian avifauna.
21. Madardsz on a new Blue-throat.
[Hin neues Blaukehlehen, Von Dr. Julius v. Madarasz. Természet.
Fiizetek, xxv. p. 489. ]
The new Cyanecula discessa is founded on five specimens
collected by M. Hirms in Transcaspia and Persia; it is
nearest to C. swecica, but the throat is “ flax-blue.” The
range of C. suecica is generally considered to extend into
Cashmere and Northern India, so it would be curious to find
a distinct species in Transcaspia (¢f. Radde, Orn. Caucas.
9
p- 249).
22. Mearns on Three new North-American Birds.
[Descriptions of Three new Birds from the Southern United States.
By Edgar A. Mearns. Proc. U.S, Nat. Mus. xxiv. pp. 915-926, 1902. ]
Two of these forms, Coturniculus savannarum floridanus
and Progne subis floridana, are, as their names denote, from
Florida; while the third, Sitta carolinensis nelsoni, is from
the wooded mountains of Chihuahua and Sonora and of
the adjacent States of N. America.
We confess that we are a little uneasy about the rapid
growth of the list of North-American ‘ subspecies.”
23. Neumann on the Results of his last African Expedition.
[Kurze Mitteilung iiber die zoologischen Resultate meiner Expedition
durch Nordost-Afrika, 1900-1901. Von Oscar Neumann. Jena, 1902.]
Herr Neumann gives us here an account of his expedition
to the western and southern districts of Abyssinia and Somali-
land, of which the fauna has been much less investigated
than that of the eastern portions. From Gjildessa and the
mountainous woodlands of Gara Mulata to the south-west of
Harrar he proceeded to the Erer and Hawash valleys, and so
to the Blue Nile and the Kaffa Province. He lays stress on
the palzearctic species of birds which he found in the northern
126 Recently published Ornithological Works.
regions visited and on the distribution of the forms found
throughout his journey.
24. Neumann on new African Birds.
[Ueber neue und wenig bekannte ostafrikanische Vogel. Von Oscar
Neumann. Ornithologische Monatsbericht, 1901, pp. 183-185.
Diagnosen neuer Vogelarten aus Siid-Aethiopien. Jd. op. eit., Jan.
1902.
Neue afrikanische Vogel. Id. op. cit., Sept. 1902.]
In the first article the author discusses the differences
between Mesopicus spodocephalus Riipp. and M. rhodogaster
Fisch. & Reich., and describes as new Dendropicus nandensis
from Nandi, E. Africa, and Calamocichla jacksoni from
Entebbe, Uganda.
In the second he gives diagnoses of Francolinus nigrosqua-
matus sp. n., Dendromus niger sp. n., D. permistus kaffensis
subsp. n., Amblyospiza ethiopica sp. n., Muscicapa reichenowi
sp. n., Chloropeta natalensis umbriniceps subsp. n., and
Zosterops kaffensis sp. n.
In the third article Astur tachiro nyanse@ is described as a
new subspecies from Victoria Nyanza, and Zosterops smithi
as a new species from Somali-land.
25. Newton's ‘Ootheca Wolleyana’
[Ootheca Wolleyana: an Illustrated Catalogue of the Collection of
Birds’ Eggs formed by the late John Wolley, Jun., M.A., F.Z.S. Edited
from the Original Notes by Alfred Newton.—Part II. Picarize—Passeres.
London: Porter, 1902. ]
Many of our readers will be as pleased as we were when
we heard that Professor Newton was engaged in finishing
the first volume of the ‘Ootheca Wolleyana,’ the former
portion of which was issued in 1864, so that the volume is
now completed.
In the first portion of the ‘ Ootheca’ the Accipitres and
Striges were treated. In the second we have an account
of the eggs of the Picariz and Passeres in the Wolley
Collection. We have also, as an introduction, a memoir of
Wolley, which will be read with interest by all ornith-
ologists.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 127
Following the plan pursued in the former portion of the
work, after the scientific and English name of each species
Prof. Newton states the ‘‘clutches” or lots of its eggs
contained in the Wolley Collection, and their number, and
the exact date and locality at which they were procured,
together with the authority. Other particulars are added
where they can be given, especially extracts from Wolley’s
note-books—which in special cases are very full.
It must be understood that, although many other localities
have furnished eggs for the ‘Ootheca, a very large pro-
portion of them are from Wolley’s original collections made
in Lapland. Among the well-known names, which we find
quoted as authorities, are those of Salvin, Tristram, Simpson,
Lilford, Pastor Theobald, Hancock, and others. Altogether
in the first volume 2797 sets or clutches of eggs are cata-
logued, with accompanying notes. It is hardly necessary to
say that the whole of the letterpress is compiled and arranged
with the care and correctness habitual to the Author of this
work. Four excellent coloured plates illustrate some of the
most noticeable eggs described. Besides these there are four
lithographic views of scenery connected with bird-life,
amongst which (Memoir, p. xxxv) is a view of Eidey Island,
supposed to be the last home of the Great Auk. The
frontispiece of the volume is an excellent portrait of John
Wolley.
26. North on Eremiornis.
[Note on Eremiornis carterit. By Alfred J. North. Vict. Nat. xix.
No. 5, Sept. 1902. ]
Mr. North contends that the genus Eremiornis may fairly
claim to be distinct from the allied Indian form Schenicola,
and figures the lower surfaces of skins of both forms taken
from photographs (cf. Ibis, 1902, p. 608).
27. North on Malurus leucopterus.
[Note on Malurus leucopterus Quoy and Gaimard. By Alfred J.
North, C.M.Z.S., Ornithologist. Records Austral. Mus. iv. pp. 209, 210.]
Mr. North shews that the Malurus of New South Wales,
128 Recently published Ornithological Works.
referred by Gould (B. Austr.) to M. leucopterus Q. et G., has
been wrongly identified, and should be called Malurus
cyanotus Gould (Handb. B. Austr.i. p. 831, 1885), an alterna-
tive name proposed in case the bird of New South Wales
should prove to be distinct. M. edouardi, recently described
as new (Campbell, Vict. Nat. xvi. p. 203), is probably the
same as the true M. leucopterus.
28. Oberholser on the Horned Larks.
[A Review of the Larks of the Genus Otocoris. By Harry C. Ober-
holser, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxiv. pp. 801-884, 1902. ]
Mr. Oberholser reviews the species of Larks of the genus
Otocorys (which he persists in mis-spelling Ofocoris), and
gives us a useful and instructive paper, although we can
hardly believe that it would be possible to distinguish
examples of some of his subspecies satisfactorily. The
author allows only six species of the genus—O. alpestris,
O. atlas (doubtfully), O. longirostris, O. bilopha, O. peni-
cillata, and O. berlepschi, but “chops up” O. alpestris into
twenty-three, O. longirostris into four, and O. penicillata
into five subspecies. Our North-European species is called
O. alpestris flava, while the name O. alpestris alpestris
is assigned to the North-American bird. Now no one
would accuse our friend Dr. Bowdler Sharpe of being a
“‘lumper,” yet he quotes with approval (Cat. B. xi. p. 544)
the dictum of Mr. Henshaw that “the large Horned Lark of
N. Europe cannot be separated from that of N. America.”
_Mr. Oberholser is of the contrary opinion, and this may
perhaps make us hesitate to accept some of his seven new
subspecies (OO. aa. arcticola, enthymia, diaphora, actia, am-
mophila, aphrasta, and leucansiptila from various parts of the
North-American Continent) without further enquiry.
29. Pigott on London Birds.
[London Birds and other Sketches. By T. Digby Pigott, C.B.,
M.B.0O.U. New dition, revised and enlarged. London: Edward
Arnold, 1902, 8vo. 256 pp. Price 6s.]
Mr. Digby Pigott kindly sends us a copy of the new
Recently published Ornithological Works. 129
edition of his ‘ London Birds,’ of which we formerly noticed
the first issue (Ibis, 1893, p. 270). <A pretty drawing by
Mr. Thorburn of the “ Cormorants’ Rock” in St. James’s
Park forms an appropriate frontispiece to the present edition,
and there are six other illustrations of bird-life. Several
new chapters are added.
30. Reichenow’s * Birds of Africa?
[Die Vogel Afrikas von Ant. Reichenow. Zweiter Band, Erste Halfte.
4to. Neudamm, 1902. Pp. 384. Price 50s. ]
The first half of the second volume of Dr. Reichenow’s
important work ‘ Die Vogel Afrikas’ (cf. Ibis, 1901, pp. 142,
732) was issued in August last. It commences with the
Psittacidee, after which follow the Musophagide, Cuculide,
and other Picarians in order up to the Cypselidz, which
are not quite finished. Altogether about 370 species are
treated in the present half-volume. A few subspecies are
introduced, not numbered as species, but designated a,
b, c, &e.
Attached to this half-volume is an Atlas with three maps,
and an alphabetical list of the localities designated in them,
together with references to the-places where they are to be
found in the maps, and the names of the collectors who visited
them. All this will be a very useful addition to the work,
aud, as we understand, will ultimately form a separate volume
along with the coloured plates. Of these plates, five are
given with the present part, representing Macronyzx fuelleborni,
M. aurantiigula, Picathartes oreas, P. gymnocephalus, Pen-
thetria psammocromia, Ploceus rufo-niger, Symplectes tephro-
notus, Turacus schuetti, T. emini, Podica senegalensis, and
P. camerunensis.
The species of African birds registered so far in the work
are 929. We suppose that the Passeres still remaining will
amount to at least as many more. |
31. Richmond on new Birds from Siam.
| Descriptions of Two new Birds from Trong, Lower Siam. By Charles
W. Richmond. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xv. p. 157 (1902). ]
SER. VIII.— VOL. IIf. K
130 Recently published Ornithological Works.
Two new birds from a collection made by Dr. W. L.
Abbott in the province of Trong, Lower Siam, are described
and named Stachyris chrysops and Oreocincla horsfieldi
affinis respectively.
32. Richmond on a new Goatsucker.
| Description of a new Subspecies of Stenopsis cayennensis from Curacao.
By Charles W. Richmond. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xv. p. 159
(1892).]
The Stenopsis of Curacao is separated as a new subspecies,
S. cayennensis insularis, from a specimen sent to the U.S.
National Museum by Capt. Wirt Robinson.
33. Richmond on new Birds from the Sumatran Islands.
[Descriptions of Eight new Birds from Islands off the West Coast of
Sumatra. By Charles W. Richmond. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xv.
p. 187 (1902).]
Dr. W. L. Abbott has forwarded to the U.S. National
Museum a collection of several hundred bird-skins from
various islands off the west coast of Sumatra. Amongst
them are examples of eight species presumed to be new,
which are described and named as follows :—Macropygia
simalurensis, Psittinus abbotti, Thriponax parvus, and Hypo-
thymis consobrina, from Simalur Island; Paleornis major
and Hypothymis abbotti from Pulo Babi; Malacopteron
notatum from Pulo Bang-karu; and Stuchyris bangakensis
from Pulo Tuanku.
34. Rothschild on Birds from Russian Turkestan.
[List of a Collection of Birds made south of the Issik-kul in Russian
Turkestan. By the Hon. Walter Rothschild. Noy. Zool. ix. p. 161.]
A collection made by Mr. A. Tancré in Anklam, south of
Lake Issik-kul, contained examples of 68 species, among
which were some of considerable interest. Notes on these
and their allies are furnished. Mr. Rothschild maintains
the distinctness of the Eastern Missel-Thrush as a sub-
species— Turdus viscivorus bonapartet,
9)
Recently published Ornithological Works. 131
35. Rothschild and Hartert on the Fauna of the Galapagos.
[Further Notes on the Fauna of the Galapagos Islands. By the
Hon. Walter Rothschild and Ernst Hartert. Nov. Zool. ix. p- 375. |
Besides most interesting additions to our knowledge of the
Giant Tortoises of the Galapagos, this paper contains a series
of notes on the birds recently obtained by Mr. Beck and
other collectors, and concludes with a revised list of the
species now known of this most remarkable avifauna. They
are 108 in number. The whole of the Passeres (61), except
Hirundo erythrogastra (a migrant) and Dolichonyx oryzi-
vorus (an accidental visitant), are peculiar to the group.
Corvus corax clarionensis, from Clarion Island, and Speotyto
cunicularia becki, from Guadeloupe Island, are new su bspecies.
A good coloured figure is given of the flightless Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax harris).
36. Salvadori on a new Lark.
[Nuova specie del genere Ammomunes. [Per] Tommaso Salvadori.
Boll. Mus. Zool. ed Anat. Torino, xvii. no. 425.]
The author bases Ammomanes assabensis, sp. nov., on two
specimens from Assab, on the western coast of the Red Sea,
in the Museum of Turin, and a third in the Museum of the
University of Rome. It is allied to A. deserti, A. saturata,
and A. akeleyi.
37. Seth-Smith on Parrakeets.
[Parrakeets: being a practical Handbook to those Species kept in
Captivity. By David Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. Part 2. August,
1902. R. H. Porter: London. Pp. 41-80 and 3 plates. Price 6s,
net. |
The present part contains the genera Conurus, Conuropsis,
Cyanolyseus, Henicognathus, Microsittace, Pyrrhura, Myo-
psittacus, Bolborhynchus, Psittacula, and Brotogerys, and gives
—sometimes in considerable detail—the habits, food, and
so forth. Coloured figures are given of Conurus @eruginosus,
C. cactorum, Cyanolyseus patagonicus, Pyrrhura leucotis, and
P. perlata.
K 2
132 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
38. Simon on Peruvian Trochilide.
[Etude sur les Trochilidés observés au Pérou par G. A. Baer. Par
Eugéne Simon. Nov. Zool. ix. p, 177.}
In his journey through Eastern Peru, principally in the
basin of the Huallaga, the entomological collector Baer
obtained a series of Trochilidz, which are referred to 25
species by M. Simon. Metallura theresie is described as
new, and appears to be quite a distinct species. Psalido-
prymna gould chlorura of Hartert (Tierr. p. 183) is renamed
P. palliidiventris, and is represented as being allied to
P. gouldi and P. gracilis, but is stated not to be the same
as Lesbia chlorura of Gould.
39. Winge on the Birds of the Danish Lighthouses, 1901.
{Fuglene ved de danske Fyri1901. 19de Aarsberetning om danske
Fugle. Ved Herluf Winge. Vidensk. Medd. f. d. naturh, Foren, i
Kbhyn. 1902, pp. 259-325. ]
This is the annual report on the birds met with at the
Danish lighthouses (cf. Ibis, 1902, p. 163), and is illus-
trated by the usual excellent map, which shews the exact
positions of the lights. In 1901, 670 specimens referable to
64 species were sent from 31 lighthouses to the Zoological
Museum. A list of the species and various notes are given.
XII1.—Letters, Extracts, Notices, §c.
We have received the following letters addressed to “ The
‘Editors ” :—
Sirs,—I was pleased to see the figure of the courting
Robin in The Ibis’ (1902, p. 678) ; for although I have
for a good many years been familiar with this peculiar
attitude as assumed by the Robin, I have never before seen
a representation of it in any publication. As Mr. Ogilvie-
Grant states that he does not find this courting habit
mentioned im any book on British birds, may I refer him to
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 133
what I wrote on the subject in ‘The Zoologist’ for 1896
(p. 427)? When describing the habits of a pair of Blue-
throated Warblers, I wrote :—“ Presently, as I watched him,
the male of the pair sang in an ecstasy, for his plain-coloured
mate, which I could see, was creeping and hopping about
among the growth of arctic birch close to where he settled,
and he was performing like a Robin. His head and neck
were stretched up, and his bill pointed nearly upwards ; his
tail was flirted up and down, or held at rather less than a
right angle with his body, and his wings were drooped.”
This peculiar attitude is not confined to the male while
actually courting the female, for I have known it assumed
by two male Robins in rivalry in the presence of a female.
I extract the following remarks from one of my note-books
under the date March 30th, 1888 :—“'Thus they faced each
other, singing in a shrill constrained tone, at a distance of
a couple of inches apart ; then cuffed at each other once or
twice, when one gave up and was chased by the other through
the shrubbery.” A rough pen-and-ink sketch of one of the
Robins in this curious attitude accompanies the note. Ac-
cording to my experience, the body of the bird is not always
quite so upright as in Mr. Lodge’s drawing. The bill points
nearly, but not quite, straight upwards, and the line of the
body from the chin to the belly forms a gentle uninterrupted
curve. But, of course, this may vary considerably in
different cases. Yours &c.,
©. V. APrIN.
Srrs,—In ‘ The Ibis’ for 1901 (p.517) I mentioned having
seen some Dotterels (Eudromias morinellus) on the top of a
mountain in Merionethshire on May 10th, 1901. On May
8th in the next year we went up this mountain again for the
purpose of looking for these birds. We searched a great deal
of ground without success, and at last, being half-numbed by
the bitter gusts of icy wind (snow lying in patches about the
summit), we began to descend. When crossing a slope covered
with weathered stones interspersed with patches of grey-
134 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
green vegetation (moss, lichen, wiry grass, and heather only
about an inch high) we suddenly and by mere accident came
upon four Dotterels feeding among the stones ; and we realized
how very easily these quiet little birds might escape notice
among the barren tops, even when they were the especial
objects of a search. With a wind so keen as to constantly
cause one’s eyes to fill with tears, one’s powers of observa-
tion also are materially lessened! The very tameness of
Dotterel is a protection to them, for it would be quite easy to
pass within a few yards of them without their rising on the
wing or even moving. And brilliant as is the colouring of
a full-plumaged Dotterel, when they are quite still among
the greys and browns of a mountain-top they are really very
inconspicuous. The white coronet on the head is the most
conspicuous mark about a Dotterel, and this is especially so
when the bird is running away from the observer. But we
several times lost sight of one or other of these four, although
they were not more than a dozen yards from us. When we
had walked within ten yards of them, they even fed towards
us, so tame were they. When feeding they pecked about
among the moss and grass between the stones, turning up
tufts of it and greedily eating something they found under-
neath. As usual, they were full of quaint actions, stretching
out a wing or leg from time to time; and one bird raised its
wings high over its back, the tips being uppermost ; another
scratched the side of its head with its foot. Two of these
birds were in full dress, though one was finer than the other
and really most beautiful. ‘The others were dull-coloured
birds, with the yellowish edges to the dorsal feathers broad,
and the clear bright markings of the under parts wanting.
The Dotterel has seldom been recorded from any part of
Wales. But I think the fact of our finding some on the same
mountain early in May in two successive years points to the
probability that they are regular visitors to the Cambrian
mountains on their passage northwards in the spring.
It is, of course, just possible that the Dotterel may breed
on some of the tops. The ground looks suitable. Buta
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 135
search was made in June 1901, and nothing could be seen of
the birds. Yours &ce.,
O. V. APLIn.
Sirs,—Reviewing Mr. Chapman’s paper “ On new Peruvian
Birds” in the April number, 1902, pp. 337, 338, you made
a remark as follows ;—
“The Chlorochrysa (Ch. fulgentissima) is apparently the
same as that described and figured in this Journal (Ibis,
1901, p. 716, pl. xv.) by Graf v. Berlepsch and M. Stolzmann
as C. hedwige ; and, if so, Mr. Chapman’s name (August
1901) will have priority.”
In connection with this allow me to state that there can-
not be the slightest doubt that Chlorochrysa fulgentissima
Chapm. is the same as Ch. hedwige Berl. & Stolam. The
question of priority is perhaps still open to some doubt. It
is certain that the copies of the article containing the
description of the Chlorochrysa by Mr. Chapman (bearing
the impression ‘* Author’s Edition, extracted from ‘ Bulletin
of the American Museum of Natural History,’ vol. xiv.
Article xix. pp. 225-228, New York, September 7th, 19017’)
were received here in the second part of the month of
September, but some of my friends are of the opinion that
Authors’ editions extracted from a periodical and sent in
advance of the publication of the periodical cannot be re-
garded as publications in the ordinary sense, because at that
time they are not to be obtained through any bookseller, being
only accessible to a limited number of writers, to whom they
are sent voluntarily by the author of the article. Provided
this be the general rule of authors, we have only to make
an inquiry whether the number of the ‘Bulletin of the
American Museum of Natural History’ containing the
article xix. of Mr. Chapman, bearing the date August 1901,
was really published in August 1901 or later, viz. earlier
or later than the October number of ‘The Ibis’ of 1901.
Unfortunately I am not able to give any statements in this
connexion,
136 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
I may further remark that the MS. containing the descrip-
tion of Chlorochrysa hedwige was sent to the Editors of * The
Ibis’ in June 1901, but unfortunately too late for publication
in the July ‘Ibis.? I also alluded to this new species, and
explained its characters at the meeting of the Third Section
of the Fifth International Zoological Congress at Berlin on
August 14th, 1901 *.
Regarding the other new species described in Mr. Chap-
man’s article as above, I wish to inform you (1) that
Malacothraupis castaneiceps Chapm. is evidently the same as
Malacothraupis gustavi Berl. Journ. f. Orn. 1901 (January
number), p. 85 (from Bolivia), and (2) that Terenura xantho-
nota Chapm. is no doubt identical with Terenura sharpii
Berl. Journ. f. Orn. 1901 (January number), p. 97 (from
Bolivia).
In both cases my names have the priority over those of
Mr. Chapman. Yours &ce.,
Schloss Berlepsch, Count’ Brruupscu,
Noy. 25th, 1902.
Srrs,—On the morning of the 17th inst. a gamekceper
shot a Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) near here, and
Mr. J. Cullingford, of Durham, to whom I sent it to be set
up, reports it to be amale. The bird had been about for a
few days, feeding on the low banks of a pool and in a marshy
piece of land adjoining the water. I did not observe any red
tinge on the head or neck, both of which were evenly and
liberally streaked with grey ; but the under parts were
suffused with a very decided warm red tint, and the back,
wings, and tail were glossed over with brilliant metallic
green and purple. Length 224 inches, wing 11 inches.
Yours &c.,
High Ackworth, Pontefract, Watrer B. ARUNDEL.
Nov. 21st, 1902.
—_——
* Cf. Verh. V. Intern. Zool. Congr. Berlin, p. 549; also see above, p. 116.
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 137
Sirs,—Since forwarding to you the MS. of my paper on
Athene chiaradia, on the 4th and again on the 28rd of
September last, I have been at Udine and have carefully
examined in Mr. Vallon’s house the two living specimens of the
Black-eyed Civetta and their three yellow-eyed co-nestlings
captured along with the parent birds in July last. I found
the former perfectly similar to the two first specimens of
A. chiaradiea described in my paper, the latter slightly
different from the young of the average A. noctua. On the
13th of November, 1902, Mr. Vallon sent me three of these
small Owls which he had killed, for, being fully fledged and
very wild, he feared that they might further damage their
feathers, which were beginning to suffer. They were one
A. chiaradi@ and two of the normal—co-nestlings ; on dissec-
tion I found them to be all females. I was now able to make
a careful comparison between the first and my type, and
found it to be quite the same in all essential characters.
Being better feathered it looks whiter, and its tarsi and toes
are well covered with white feathers, just like the specimen
figured by Martorelli ; the top of the head is somewhat more
spotted. The wing- and tail-feathers being perfect, I may
note, moreover, that the four first primaries shew detached
white blotches on the inner web: ¢wo on the Ist and 2nd,
only one on the 3rd and 4th. On all the following remiges
the white longitudinal margin on the inner web is entire,
becoming very broad on the last. The narrow longitudinal
white margin on the outer webs of all the primaries is very
distinct, only on the first four is it notched, a trace of
primitive division. On the tail-feathers the white longi-
tudinal margins are entire; on the inner web there are white
blotches imside the white margin, except on the two median
rectrices, which have such blotches on both webs. A. chiaradia
in this case is again a smaller bird with a proportionately
smaller head than the normal Civetta.
The two normal co-nestlings (4. noctua), although of the
same age, are distinctly larger in size ; they are slightly aber-
rant from the usual type, more spotted on the top of the head
138 Letters, Extracts, Notices, §c.
like both parents; they resemble the mother in being dark,
but exhibit more white on the facial disc. Both shew a tinge
of rose-colour at the base of the inner primaries and on some
of the under wing-coverts, which is, I fancy, a character of
young feathers. The other two of the same brood, one dark-
eyed and the other yellow-eyed, are still alive in Mr. Vallon’s
house at Udine, the A. chiaradie having considerably spoilt
its feathers,
I may here add that on the 19th of November I caused
the singular albino A. noctwa, from near Pisa, which I had
kept alive from the beginning of the year, to be killed. It
was in perfect plumage, but cage-life had produced a con-
siderable malformation in its bill, and I wished to preserve it
with the least possible damage. The main peculiarity which
I had noticed in this specimen, now a big full-grown female,
was the dark greenish-grey colour of the irides, which only
under certain incidences of light shewed the red of the
blood-vessels, being evidently only partially pigmented but
quite enough to look black in ordinary aspects. When
dead a closer examination shewed another remarkable
character—the entire plumage is of a snowy white when
viewed externally, except the middle portion of the tail-
feathers and more slightly those around the base of the bill,
which are tinged with yellow; but on lifting up the body-
feathers and the inner wing-feathers I was surprised to find
them all deeply tinged with a vinaceous rose-colour, very like
that which is found on the bases of the feathers of certain
Bustards in normal condition, namely in our Of¢is tetraz.
In this albino Civetta the vinaceous tint extends nearly half
up each feather from the base; it is much less marked on
the feathers of the head. It looks as if Athene noctua as a
species, in Italy at least, is in a curious state of instability.
Yours &c.,
KR. Zoological Museum, Florence, Henry H. Grevtott.
Noy. 27th, 1902,
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 139
Sirs,—A female example of Emberiza pusilla was procured
at the Tees Mouth, near Seaton Snook, on the Durham side
of the estuary, on Oct. 11th, 1902, by Messrs. Braithwaite
and Millburn. It was submitted to Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, of
the British Museum, for identification, and afterwards
exhibited at the meeting of the British Ornithologists’? Club
on Oct. 22nd, As this is only the second known British
specimen of this little Bunting, the record of its capture may
be considered worthy of a place in the pages of ‘ The Ibis.’
Yours &e.,
The Cliffe, Redcar, T. H. NEuson.
Dec. Ist, 1902.
Sirs,—In their paper “On a Collection of Birds from
Shendi, Sudan,” published in ‘The Ibis’ for January 1902,
Messrs. Rothschild and Wollaston write (p. 32) of Eupodotis
arabs :—“ The chestnut axillaries are a good distinguishing
character when the bird is flying.”” In the Brit. Mus. Cat.
Birds, xxii. p. 323, the axillaries of this species are described
as “ pure white,”’ and they have certainly been white in about
a dozen specimens which I have examined. Did Messrs.
Rothschild and Wollaston really come across a species of
Eupodotis with chestnut axillaries at Shendi, or is it possible
that a note on some other species—Glareola pratincola, for
instance—has been mutilated and mixed up with their note
on the Bustard? ‘This explanation suggests itself as the
Pratincole is common at Shendi in the spring, but is not
referred to in the paper above mentioned, and a reference
to it would follow closely after the note on Eupodotis arabs.
Yours &e.,
A. L. Butter,
Superintendent of Game Preservation,
Khartoum, Sudan, Khartoum,
Nov, 18th, 1902.
140 Letiers, Extracts, Notices, &c.
Sirs,—I have the pleasure of informing you that last
autumn I bought, through Mr. Vallon’s kindness, a splendid
specimen of Athene chiaradia, which is now in my collection.
It is an adult male, and has been beautifully mounted by
Prof. Martorelli; it was taken from the nest by Mr. Vallon,
July 8th, 1901, on the Alps of Friuli. In my opinion this
is the most interesting of the four specimens of this Owl
which are known, because it was first described by Mr. Vallon
and afterwards by Prof. Martorelli, who has also given an
excellent photo of it. I consider it superfluous to repeat my
previous statement that this supposed species is, in my
opinion, founded upon aberrant specimens of our Little Owl
(A. noctua). Yours &e.,
Count E. Arricont Deceit Opp1.
Florence, Italy, Palazzo Panciatichi-
Ximenes, December 10th, 1902.
——— --—-
News of Mr. Nicoll.—Mr. M. J. Nicoll, M.B.O.U., who
has been invited to accompany Lord Crawford as Naturalist
on a tour round the world in the S.Y. ‘ Valhalla,’ writes to
us from Lisbon on Nov. 28th about the marine birds which
he has observed, and concerning which he is keeping a
regular journal, Shags, Cormorants, Gannets, and Gulls of
several species were noted at the Balenga Islands. From
Lisbon the ‘ Valhalla’ will proceed to Madeira and St. Vincent,
and thence to South Trinidad and down the South-American
~ coast. Passing through the Straits of Magellan, the ‘ Val-
halla’ will visit all the principal groups of the South Pacific
Islands and return home by the Suez Canal.
+
New Expedition to Svuth America——We are pleased to
see an announcement in ‘ Nature’ that Othmar Reiser, the
well-known ornithologist of the Bosnian Museum at Sara-
jevo, will accompany a scientific expedition sent out by the
Academy of Sciences of Vienna to South America. The
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 141
party will land in North Brazil, and proceed into the
interior, to study the little-known fauna of Piauhy and
Maranhao.
Travels of Capt. Boyd Alexander.—Capt. Alexander returned
home from the Gold Coast in September last with a collection
of some 250 birds, among which, however, were very few
that he had not previously met with in that Colony. On
the 25th of the same month he left again for West Africa,
having obtamed two months’ leave, and on Oct. 26th was
at Old Calabar, which he describes as “a splendid place, very
prosperous, and quite different from the Gold Coast.” Ina
few days he was expecting to leave for Fernando Po, and
would thence go on to San Thomé, to make an ornithological
reconnaissance of these islands.
The Position of the American Vuliures——The much-vexed
question of the correct position of the American Vultures
(Cathartidee) in the ‘Systema Avium’ is discussed by Mr.
. Pycraft in his recently-issued paper on the “ Osteology of
the Falconiformes” (P. Z. 8. 1902, vol. i. p. 277). So
markedly do these birds differ from all other Accipitrine
forms that such good authorities as Garrod and Forbes
wished to place them in a separate Order. Garrod proposed
to associate them with the Ciconiz and Steganopodes, and
Forbes to arrange them with the Ciconiz and Tubinares.
Mr. Pycraft agrees with Mr. Beddard that osteologically the
Falconiformes are rather Gruine than Ciconiine. They have
a “desmognathous palate of a quite peculiar type,” which,
however, is shown by the author to be nearly approached
by Psophia. He concludes that the Cathartide are the
least specialized members of the Accipitrine group, shewing
their low generalized position by other parts of the skeleton
as well as by the skull. We may safely regard them, he
thinks, as the most primitive of the Falconiformes,
142 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
The Generic Term Txoreus.—Among the “ general notes ”’
in the ‘ Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington’
for April last (vol. xv. p. 85) is one from Mr. Charles W.
Richmond, insisting that the generic term Lvoreus, proposed
by Bonaparte in 1854 (C. R. xxxviii. p. 3), should be used,
on the ground of priority, instead of Hesperocichla of Baird
(Rev. Amer. B. i. p. 12, 1864). Now I wish to say that, in
my opinion, this change ought not to be made. Bonaparte
expressly states that the type of his new genus [zoreus
“west pas un Grive ni méme un Chanteur, mais un Volucre
Teniopterien.” Bonaparte (whom I knew well and with
whom I was frequently in company about the time of the
foundation of this generic name) was in the habit of “ making
his genera”’ by putting up a small paper label with the
generic name in front of the type in the gallery of the
Museum in the Jardin des Plantes. By some extraordinary
mistake (for Bonaparte had an excellent knowledge of birds)
he imagined that a specimen of Mytotheretes rufiventris in
the gallery was the bird figured by Audubon as Turdus
nevius. 'This was the reason why he stated (quite correctly)
that the type of his genus Jzoreus was a “ Volucre Tenio-
pterien.” I well recollect, although it is a long time ago,
observing this error soon after it was made, whereupon I
pointed it out to Bonaparte and to the late Jules Verreaux,
who was with me at the time. Our American friends,
therefore, may still safely use Hesperocichla for the Varied
‘Thrush, Turdus nevius, although, in my opinion, it is hardly
necessary to separate it from the genus Turdus.
If Mr. Richmond had taken tke trouble to read what was
written upon this subject forty-three years ago (see P.Z. S.
1859, p. 331), he would have saved himself from committing
this (already corrected) blunder.—P. L. S, S+ +++ 6.2.5
S57, ¢!
Baron Snouckaert van Schauburg’s Collection of Birds.—
We learn from ‘Science’ (n.s. xvi. p. 717) that the collection
of the birds of Holland formed by Baron Snouckaert van
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 143
Schauburg and mounted by a celebrated Dutch taxidermist
has been purchased by the Carnegie Museum at Pittsburg,
U.S.A. It numbers about eight hundred specimens, and
contains examples of nearly all the species of Western
Europe. ach is represented by both sexes in adult
plumage, and in many instances by the young also. There
are over three hundred species represented in the collection.
—_ —____-+
International Protection of Small Birds.—We are “pleased”
to hear that more serious steps are likely to be taken on the
Continent for the protection of small birds. We learn from
‘Science’ (n. s. vol. xvi. p. 277, 1902) that, encouraged by
the constantly renewed resolutions of the Councils General
and the Agricultural Societies, which deplored the systematic
destruction of birds useful to agriculture, the French Govern-
ment, in 1892, took the initiative in the matter by inviting the
European Powers to send representatives to an International
Commission on the subject. This Commission met in Paris
in June 1895. After long negotiations the convention thus
framed has now obtained the adhesion of France, Germany,
Austria, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Luxemburg,
Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Principality of
Monaco. All the other States are empowered by the terms
of the agreement to adhere, if they think fit, to the con-
vention for the protection of birds. ‘The various contracting
governments undertake to prohibit the employment of
snares, cages, nets, glue, and all other means for the capture
and destruction of birds in large numbers at atime. Ac-
cording to this general measure of protection, no one is to
be allowed to capture or kill, between March Ist and Sept.
15th, any of the birds useful to agriculture, of which a
complete list is contained in the International Agreement.
Sale of the late Dr. Stark’s Eggs, Birds, and Books.—
The eggs, bird-skins, and ornithological books of the late
Dr. Stark were sold by auction at Stevens’ Sale-rooms on
144 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
the 19th of June last year, but the notice of this event was
accidentally omitted in the October number of ‘The Ibis.’
There were 127 lots im all, but the greater number of them
were eggs. Most of these had been taken by Stark himself,
who was a first-rate field-naturalist and collector (see ‘ Ibis,’
1900, p. 220). Many of the eggs were those mentioned in
Irby’s ‘Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar’ and in
Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway’s ‘ Birds of North America.’
The prices obtained were, as a rule, very low. Some fine
eges of the Bearded Vulture, from Spain, fetched £2 2s. ;
of the Cinereous Vulture 12s.; of Bonelli’s Eagle 8s.; of
the Booted Eagle 6s. A nest with five eggs and two skins
of the Blue Rock-Thrush (both sexes) brought 25s.; anest of
Savi’s Warbler, with four eggs, 35s.; of Cetti’s Warbler,
with four eggs, 6s. Two eggs of the Great Bustard were
sold for 7s.!_ Of the North-American lots a clutch of two
eggs of Buteo krideri (referred to in the ‘ Birds of North
America,’ vol. ili. p. 284) fetched 35s., and a clutch of eggs
of Bartram’s Sandpiper, with a skin of the female, from
Minnesota, together with other skins, brought only 14s.
The books sold were few; the most important being a fine
set of ‘The Ibis’ (1859-99), £85, and the “ Zoology” of
the ‘ Biologia Centrali-Americana’ (parts 1-150), £80.
Death of Mr. T. E. Buckley.—It is with the greatest regret
that we have to announce the death, on the 5th of November,
of our fellow-member, Mr. T. E. Bucxiry, of Inverness,
whose name is well known to all readers of ‘The Ibis. The
obituarial notice is unavoidably postponed until our next
number.
Ibis 1903 ,P1.V.
MinternBros.imp.
H.Grénvold delet hth
DISSURA MORTONI.
He hee Bel S:
EIGHTH SERIES.
No. X. APRIL 1903.
XIV.—On a new Stork from Borneo.
By W. R. Ocitvie-Grant.
(Plate V.)
A Srorx belonging to the genus Dissura was recently shot by
Mr. William Morton on the Simunjan River, a tributary of
the Sadong, in Southern Sarawak, and subsequently brought
to me for identification. An examination of the series of
Dissura episcopus in the British Museum confirmed the
suspicion that this bird belonged to a perfectly distinct species,
but disclosed the fact that a similar specimen to that shot
by Mr. Morton had been sent home by Sir Hugh Low in
1876. Probably from lack of material the differences
between this bird and D. episcopus had not been recognised,
and the specimen had been catalogued under the latter title.
It was obtained on the Mengalong River, North Sarawak
(not at Labuan, as stated in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds’), and
bears the following note in Sir Hugh Low’s handwriting :—
“This Stork was caught in the forest, on the banks of the
Mengalong River, in a springe set for pheasauts. I never
saw another specimen, and the natives do not know tiie
Shortly after receiving Mr. Morton’s example, which he
informs me proved on dissection to be an adult female,
the British Museum received a third specimen of the same
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. L
146 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on a
bird procured at Lamag, Sandakan, in the month of May, by
Mr. Graydon. This example is undoubtedly an adult male
in full breeding-plumage, and its dimensions, especially
the measurements of the bill and legs, exceed those of the
specimens previously mentioned.
The following is a description of the species, which has
been named in honour of Mr. William Morton :—
DissuRA MORTONI.
Melanopelargus episcopus Everett (nec Bodd.), Journ.
Straits Branch As. Soc. 1889, p. 191.
Dissura episcopus Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvi. p. 294:
(1898) [part.; specimen v’, ex Labuan].
Dissura mortoni Grant, Bull. B, O. C. xiii. p. 26 (1902).
Adult male. Resembles D. episcopus in general appearance,
but differs in the following important pomts :—It is consi-
derably smaller, the outline of the culmen is slightly concave,
and ends in a protuberance in front of the forehead ; the
bill is vermilion, the bare skin round the eyes and on the
throat and neck is orange or orange-yellow ; the legs and feet
are dull vermilion ; the basal half of the neck is clad in black
feathers, which extend up the downy white sides of the upper
neck in two wedge-shaped patches ; both the wing and tarsus
are shorter, the latter being more slender. Iris yellow. Total
length 31:0 inches, culmen 6°5, wing 16:2, tail 6°2, under
tail-coverts 7:0, tarsus 6°5, middle toe without claw 3:0.
The male (type) which is apparently in full breeding-
plumage, further differs from all the specimens of
D. episcopus with which I have compared it in having the
interscapular region clad in long, loose, purple-tipped
feathers like those of the chest, but it must be added that
the British Museum does not possess specimens of the latter
species killed during the breeding-season.
Adult female. Like the male, but with a somewhat smaller
and shorter bill. Iris red; naked skin round eye orange-
yellow; bill vermilion, the under part mixed with red
and yellow; legs dull vermilion (W. Morton). Total length
about 30:0 inches, culmen 5:7, wing 15:0, tail 5°3, under
tail-coverts 6°4, tarsus 5°5, middle toe without claw 2°7.
147
new Stork from Borneo.
sas. ee eee, eee
Dissura mortoni. Dissura episcopus.
Type of male, Type of female, Adult female, Adult male, Adult male, Adult female,
Lamag, Sandakan., Mengalong R. Simunjan R. Nepal. Bohol. Fashoda,
Mr. Graydon. Sir H. Low. | Mr. William Morton.|| Dr. J. Scully. Steere Coll. | Mr. R. M. Hawker.
in. in. in. in. in. in.
Total length ...... 31:0 80°0 30:0 375 (in 54:0 34:0
flesh),
UME seta ks we - 65 5:7 56 (im- 64 6:9 6:25
perfect at tip).
\W ih 16:2 15:0 156 19:9 175 18°5
LING Coe eae 6:2 53 57 6:7 6:0 73
Under tail-coverts.. 70 64 64 79 (hal 8:3
ADAMBUGT oo arsce ouce s 65 55 55 | 7:2 6 65
Middle toe with- |
; 9. 7 :
a eee oo i ae ae oe oe
ne
148 Mr. W. Jesse on the
Hab. Borneo: Lamag, Sandakan (Graydon), Mengalong
River (Low), Lawas River (Treacher), Simunjan River
(Morton), Sarawak (Platen); Tumbong Hiang, S.E. Borneo
(Grabowsky).
The preceding table of measurements (p. 147) shews
the differences in size between the present species and
D. episcopus.
The figures of the male and female of this bird (Plate V.)
drawn by Mr. H. Gronvold faithfully shew their peculiarities.
Considering the number of excellent English naturalists who
have spent years of their lives in studying the ornithology of
Borneo, it is astonishing that this really remarkable bird
should have hitherto escaped notice, and that, with the
exception of the specimen procured by Sir Hugh Low
seven-and-twenty years ago, none have reached this country
in the large collections sent home by Everett, Whitehead,
and Mr. C. Hose.
XV.—A List of the Birds of Lucknow. By Wiw1am Jesse,
M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Member of the Bombay Natural
History Society).—Part IV.
[Concluded from p. 81.]
No. 1272. Crocorus cHLorocaster. Southern Green
Pigeon.
Harrial [H.].
A permanent resident, but restricted more or less to those
parts where it can procure the fruit of the banian and pipal.
In ‘Stray Feathers’ Reid wrote :—‘‘The natives here
erroneously believe that it never descends to the ground,
and even pretend that, when shot, it loses about a pound in
weight the moment it comes in contact with it! If asked
how it manages to quench its thirst, they will tell you that
it settles upon a reed, which bends over with the weight of
the bird and enables it to drink! Be all these ‘yarns’
as they may, it is a very rare occurrence to see a Green
Pigeon on the ground—still rarer to see it drinking.” To
this Mr. A. O. Hume, the Editor, appended the note :—
Birds of Lucknow. 149
“ But do they ever drink? I think not.” The Green
Pigeon breeds from April to July, and lays two very glossy
white eggs. Mango, pipal, and shesum trees are commonly
chosen for the nest.
Average of 10 Lucknoweggs .......... 1:22''~ 94”
Measurement of largest egg ........ Stee dome xT OA
s smallest ege .......6.- Lear
It is not improbable that the easteru variety of this Pigeon
(Crocopus phanicopterus) occurs here, but, so far, I have
not come across it.
It is said that fifty or sixty years ago, before the jungle,
particularly bamboo, was so much cut down, the Bronze-
winged Dove (Chalcophaps indica) used to be captured close
to Lucknow ; but I doubt if it now occurs nearer than the
Terai.
No. 1292. CotumBa inTeRMepIA. Indian Blue Rock-
Pigeon.
Kabutar [H.].
This species is a very common resident, frequenting the
minarets and native buildings in large numbers. It inter-
breeds, to a considerable extent, [ fancy, with tame pigeons.
I have taken the eggs in deserted godowns and, at Fatehgarh,
in wells, during the months of March and April, but I am
told that nests are found all the year round.
Average of 18 Lucknow eggs .......... 1:46” x 1:08"
Measurement of largest ego ..........-. Pos Te Le
# Smallest C82.) ... 0s. sae 1:32" x 1:06”
In Rajputana these birds are’ highly venerated, and no
one is allowed to kill them. No such immunity, however,
obtains here.
No. 1295. CotumsBa rversmanni. astern Stock-Pigeon.
Pahari Kabitar [H.]. Hill-Pigeon [European sports-
men].
The Stock-Pigeons visit us in vast flocks during the
cold weather, coming about November and departing in
April. They are devoted to certain spots, and are not
nearly so wild as C. intermedia. One day when making
for a large pipal, under which I intended to lunch with a
150 Mr. W. Jesse on the
friend, I was astonished to see some hundreds of these
birds dash out from the branches. We sat down to our meal,
one on either side of the trunk, and for twenty minutes at
least they kept returning in small parties. My friend took
them as they came and I as they went, and we got upwards
of twenty during tiffin.
No. 1805. Turtur rerraco. Indian Turtie-Dove.
Pahari Pirki, Fachtaw, Gugu [H.].
A common winter visitor, but apparently somewhat locally
distributed.
No. 1307. Turrur suratensis. Spotted Dove.
Citroka Fachtaw, Pirki, Gugu [H.].
This is our commonest Dove, and nests at least from
February to August, not only in trees and bushes, but in
verandahs, on beams and chics, and, as I have been told,
even on the ground.
Average of 15 Lucknow eggs .......... 1:05” x 82”
Measurement of largest egg.........5.. LO xXe8o"
a smallestiege..j. s.ues ac T00" Xairo
Reid wrote :—“ These Doves hate the Common Tree-Pie
| Dendrocitta rufa] because it doubtless robs their nests,
and on two or three occasions I have seen a couple of them
succeed in driving it out of a mango tope.”
No. 1309. Turtur camBayrnsis. Little Brown Dove.
Chota Pirki, Fachtaw, Gugu [H.]. Small-caste Dove
[ Anglo-Indian boys].
A common and permanent resident, but rather more
numerous in some parts of the station than in others. The
chief months for breeding are March, April, and May. The
eggs and nest are precisely like those of 7. swratensis, but
a trifle smaller.
Average of 12 Lucknow eggs ........ 1:00” x 85”
Measurement of largest egg .......... TOP SeeB
s smallest ego... 3... «. 0:90" <°77""
No. 1310. Turtur risorius. Indian Ring-Dove.
Dor Fachtaw, Pirki, Gugu [H.]. Large-caste Dove
| Anglo-Indian boys].
Birds of Lucknow. 151
A very common and permanent resident, though some
individuals apparently migrate during the hot weather.
This Dove is wilder than the smaller species, and keeps
more to mango- and babool-topes. It breeds throughout a
great part of the year.
Average of 14 Lucknow eggs ........ 1:13" x °89”"
Measurement of largest egg .......... 122 OS:
7, smallestiegor Cio a's au 1-067 X86"
No. 1311. Ginoporenra tranquesarica. Red Turtle-
Dove.
Lal Pirki [H.].
This pretty little Dove is a common and permanent resi-
dent, though not nearly so numerous as the last three
species. It is very partial to dhak-jungle and also to babool-
topes and trees along railway-lines, where I have taken its
eggs in May and June. ‘These are more cream-coloured
than Doves’ eggs usually are.
Average of 12 Lucknow eggs ........ 1:04" x 79"
Measurement of largest egg .......... Pe x75
35 RMBNLeSt KOO SS wer. or. ake 0:99" XK °78"
No. 13816. Prerocues arenarius. Large or Black-bellied
Sand-Grouse.
Bhut-Titur [H.].
«There is no doubt that the Large or Blac bellied Sand-
Grouse occasionally occurs, but nowhere in the Division,
that I am aware of, is there any locality that it habitually
frequents. It is, however, common in the Hardoi district,
where I have seen and shot many, and possibly it is equally
abundant in the west of the Unao district.”—G. Reid.
No. 13821. Prerociurus exustus. Common Sand-Grouse.
Bhur-Titur, Ban-Titur [H.].
This Sand-Grouse is a permanent resident, but, for want
of suitable ground, it is comparatively scarce in the Lucknow
Division. On June 14, 1896,while after black buck, with my
friend Mr. P. J. Lucas, I found a nest and three hard-set eggs
of this bird. Theformer was but a scratching in the sand
under a tuft of herbage, and contained one or two blades of
152 Mr. W. Jesse on the
grass asalining. The hen was greatly distressed, and returned
soon after being flushed, when Lucas shot her. The long
elliptical eggs were stone-coloured, with dark brown and
purple double spotting. ‘Iwo of these—the third is in
Lucas’s collection—measure 1°44” x 1:00” and 1°41’ x ‘99”.
No. 1324. Pavo cristatus. Common Peafowl.
Mor 6, Moréla ¢ [H.].
Though not met with in great numbers, the Peacock is
usually to be found in dhak-jungle, particularly where it is
bordered by cultivation, or in long grass and babool-jungle
by water. Though these birds are not specially venerated
about Lucknow, there are certain villages the inhabitants of
which object to their being molested. They breed in July,
August, and September, and probably earlier. I have never
been in their haunts during the breeding-season, but two eggs,
taken by Mr. P. J. Lucas near Mohanlalganj, 7/9/1896,
and given to me, measure 2°73” x 2°12” and 2°76” x 2:09”.
No. 1354. Excatracroria cuinensts. Blue-breasted
Quail.
Gobal-Butai [H., feste Reid].
From Reid’s enquiries amongst the bird-catchers, this
species appears to be occasionally netted with the Black-
breasted Quail during the “ rains,’ but is not met with at
other seasons.
No. 1855, Corurnix communis. Common or Grey
Quail.
Bhatér, Ghagir Bhatér, Burra Bhatér [H.].
Common during the cold weather and when the crops are
cut in April, the numbers increasing considerably about
March. It does not breed with us regularly, but eggs are
sometimes found by the villagers. One given to me by some
Martiniére boys, by whom the bird is known as the “ Sand-
Plover,” is of a rich yellow-stone colour, very heavily marked
with blackish brown.
In the season of 1900-1901 hardly a Quail was to be seen
in Lucknow or, apparently, in the North-West Provinces. I
Birds of Lucknow. 153
believe that the excellent crops in the Punjab prevented the
majority from migrating beyond the Salt Range. Last
season (1901-1902) this Quail was in fair numbers again.
It is often flushed on the edge of Snipe-jheels in the early
morning or towards evening.
When abundant, Quail are netted in great numbers, and
sell at from Rs. 2 to Rs. 2-8 per hundred. The best males
are kept for fighting by the Mahomedans. ‘To improve their
fighting temper their masters rub them over with some red
material, and itis a common sight to see these little crimson
birds “all eager for the fray.”
No. 1356. Corurnix coroManpDELica. Black-breasted or
Rain- Quail.
Chinung Bhatér [H.].
Very commen in crops and long grass during the “ rains”
and at the end of the hot weather; but certainly the
great majority migrate. It is caught in great quantities in
nets, but does not fetch quite so high a price as C. communis.
The males of this species are also prized for fighting.
No. 1857. Prerpicura asiatica. Jungle Bush- Quail.
Lowa [H.].
Very uncommon, but may occasionally be flushed in un-
frequented spots with thick vegetation. I once put up a
couple of Quail which looked to me more like P. argunda,
a species that ought to be found here.
No. 1372. Francoxinus vonearis. Black Partridge.
Kala Titur [H.].
Occurs in the Manjor of the Gogra, and, according to
Reid, in the Khadir of the Ganges [Unao district], but this
I have not yet confirmed personally. Reid states that
stragglers have been reported to have been shot on the
banks of the Goomti. Mr. B. E. Smithe informs me that
he believes that he has come across it once or twice. The
only actual “ Lucknow” specimen which I have handled was
shot by Mr. T. Peacock near La Martiniére College in some
patowal grass, and given to me,
154 Mr. W. Jesse on the
No. 1875. FrancoLinus ponpicrerianus. Grey Partridge.
Titur [EL].
To be found wherever there is heavy dhak-jungle, but as
the area covered by this tree has of late years been much
reduced, and as the birds are systematically trapped the
whole year round, they are not very numerous. They are
difficult to flush except in the very early morning. They
breed in March—at least my shikari wanted me to come and
take a nest one hot March day, but, as he said the egg-shells
were chipped, I did not go. Like the Quails, the Grey
Partridge is much prized as a fighter. The bhisti (water-
carrier) is always a great lover of pets, and is often to be
seen with a cage containing some bird—a Partridge, for
choice. These run about on the road after their master just
like dogs.
No. 1882. *Turnix pucnax. Bustard-Quail.
Not common, but probably often overlooked.
In the Museum are four skins (¢ 9 2 ? ad.).
No. 13883. Turnix pussumieri. Little Button- Quail.
Lerwa, Lowa, Ghinwa-Lowa, Chota-Lowa [ H.].
No. 13884. Turnix tanxi. Indian Button- Quail.
Lerwa, Lowa, Lowa-Butai [ 1.].
These two little birds, though not numerous, are universally
spread over the Division, the first species predominating.
They are chiefly found, singly or in pairs, in tufts and patches
of patowal grass, in bajra khets, or in rough grassy and
bushy ravines, where they are flushed with difficulty. The
Martiniére boys occasionally find the nest and eggs, two to
four in number, densely blotched and spotted, during the
“vains.” One egg, which was given me by Mr. E. Slane,
measures ‘89’ x ‘72”,
No. 1888. *Rauuus aquaticus. Water-Rail.
I quote my original note, having nothing further to
add :—‘“‘ One day at the beginning of December, 1899, Mr. De
Cruz, of Lucknow, very kindly sent me an unknown bird
which he had shot. Seeing that it was a Water-Rail, I had
it skinned immediately, when it proved to be a female. On
Birds of Lucknow. 155,
examination I noticed that it lacked the eye-band of R. indicus,
so I sent it to Mr. Finn, of Calcutta, who kindly examined
it for me, and confirmed my surmise that it belonged to
this species. Except this specimen, I can find no record of
either this species or of R. indicus occurring in Lucknow,
though I fancy that the latter has been overlooked and will
be found eventually.”
No. 1892. *Porzana parva. Little Crake.
There is a skin of an adult ¢ in the Lucknow Museum,
obtained locally by Reid.
No. 13938. Porzana pusiLuA. astern Baillon’s Crake.
Fairly common on all the big jheels during the cold
weather. It swims well, and may be seen, sometimes in
small parties, paddling about amongst the lotus and jerking its
tail. The peculiar marks on the back, rump, and scapulars
are very conspicuous.
No. 1394. Porzana Marvetta. Spotted Crake.
Seems to be far from common, but, as it is chiefly found
in rice-fields or in patches of rushy grass bordering jheels,
and is very difficult to flush, it is quite possible that it is less
scarce than it appears to be. It is only a cold-weather
visitor.
No. 1401. AmavroRNIs PHa@NICURUS. White-breasted
Water-hen.
Kinati, Ban-Murghi [H.].
A permanent resident, A pair or two may be found about
every village tank, provided it be fringed with bushes or
bamboos. It breeds in the rains, from June to August, making
a nest of rushes, grass, or straw, and laying sometimes as
many as seven eggs. I have found the fabric on the branch
of a tree overhanging the water or up a date-palm, and once
in a boat-house near the Chutter Munzil. The eggs are
pinkish white, spotted and sprinkled with red, purple, and
brown, and measure 1°77” x 1:15”, 1:79” « 1:16”, and 1:77”
< 1-09",
Reid fancied that A. akool and A. fuscus also occurred
here, but I have not yet met with either,
156 Mr. W. Jesse on the
No. 1402. Gattinuta cuLoropus. Moor-hen.
I have not found this species at all common, and have
seen it on comparatively few occasions. It appears to breed
with us, but I have not yet got the nest or eggs.
No. 1404. Porpuyrio potiocerHatus. Purple Moor-hen.
Khima [H.].
Common on the very large jheels, such as Koréla at
Mohanlalganj. Here I have seen its eggs in August. The
nest is amongst rushes and generally some distance from the
shore. Hight is the largest clutch that I have taken.
These-eges averaged: o. 5.54. <4 Ss. «is 7 soe xe,
Measurement of largest ege .......... 193 x ale
9 smallest egg ........ P79" xX 138"
This species is said to commit much damage amongst the
rice-fields, but I have not any direct evidence of this. I
have not observed it away from its favourite haunts, amidst
the rushes and water-plants, about which it climbs as easily
as a Great Reed-Warbler. It has a very loud and rather
disagreeable cry.
-+-No. 1405. Fuxica atra. Coot.
~ Thekari, Ari, Khuskul [H.].
The Coot is a permanent resident wherever there are large
rushy jheels, but migrates locally. In the winter it is found
everywhere. It swims, dives, and flies well, and is much
faster on the wing than is at first sight apparent.
No. 1407. Grus communis. Common Crane.
Kulang [H.].
Hardly so common, I fancy, as Reid would have us believe,
at any rate in the actual vicinity of Lucknow. It appears
to be more numerous on the backwaters of the big rivers,
particularly the Gogra.
No, 1408. Grus LevcocERANus. Great White or Siberian
Crane.
Tunhi [H., teste Reid].
The only person who records this species is Reid, and he
reports five examples from Sandila, which is really outside
the old Lucknow Division, but in that of Hardoi.
Both these Cranes are, of course, only winter visitors.
Birds of Lucknow. Toy
No. 1409. Grus anticone. Sarus Crane.
Saras [H. }.
A resident species, rarely found in any numbers. Four
or five are sometimes seen in company, but more often
two or three, of which the third is a young bird. On one
occasion, in April, I counted over forty in a flock on a sand-
bank in the Ganges, near Fatehgarh. It breeds from July
to October, making a nest of weeds in some shallow jhee!
and laying two eggs, sometimes pure white, but more often
with a pinkish or bluish tinge, sparingly spotted and blotched
with reddish brown. Some of the shells are very smooth and
glossy, while others have a more or less chalky appearance.
As a rule, too, the latter appear to be the larger. On one
occasion I found a Sarus’s nest with the bird sitting on two
eggs. It was floating in three or four feet of water, so that
I could tow it about. I have never known a Sarus attack
anyone who meddled with its eggs, but the old birds are
always much distressed. From the number of trios one meets
with in the cold weather, I fancy that it is a common thing
for only one chick to be hatched. Occasionally eggs have
been taken and brought to mein February and March. The
call of the Sarus is sonorous and trumpet-like, and can be
heard at a great distance.
Average of 11 Lucknow and Hardoi eggs .. 4°08" « 2°54!"
Measurement of largest ege.........06. .. £21" x2-01" |
4-11" x 2-61" {
+ STAN LOSE EMO cat sate ici oiove es 3°75" X 2°44"
No. 1411. AntHroprorpeEs virco. Demoiselle Crane.
Karkarra [H.]. “ Coolen” of European sportsmen.
Not common around Lucknow itself. The jheels of late
years have not been such as to tempt these birds. Beyond
Rai Bareli, in January 1901, I saw immense numbers on
some shallow muddy jheels, and a few days after, while
buck-shooting about five miles from Lucknow, I heard and
saw a flock passing high overhead, evidently making in
the same direction. ‘They are said to be more common on
the Chowka, Gogra, and Ganges.
They are most difficult to approach, as they post sentries,
158 Mr. W. Jesse on the
and, long before the sportsman gets within range, they rise
spirally until it is just possible to see them circling round
and round, all the while keeping up their eternal clanging
noise. QOnce heard, the cry of the Karkarra is never for-
gotten.
Of course the bird is only a winter visitor, coming in
October or November and departing in March.
No. 1415. *Houpara macquerenr. Houbara.
The only specimen of this Bustard that I have heard of
here was one killed by Mr. P. J. Lucas in 1894, on one of
the maidans.
No. 1418. Gipicnemvus scoropax. Stone-Curlew.
Bastard Florican [Anglo-Indian sportsmen]. Bull-eyed
Plover [Martiniere boys].
A permanent resident and fairly common, particularly in
dhak-jungle. On account of its more or less nocturnal
habits it is often supposed to be rarer than it is, but, at
nightfall, its call may be heard in almost every grove. It
breeds from March to July, laying two eggs in a hollow
under some tree or tuft of grass. Only twice have I found
them in the open; as a rule, they are in some mango- or
guava-tope. ‘They are yellowish or stone-coloured, more or
less heavily blotched with brown. My European eggs are far
larger than my Indian, and amongst the latter I have never
seen any with a greenish ground.
Average of 16 Lucknow eggs ........ 1-76" x 1:36”
Measurement of largest egy .......... 1:95” x 1°35"
“ smallest egy ........ 1:43” X 1°33"
No. 1419. Esacus recurvirostris. Great Stone-Plover.
The Great Stone-Plover is fairly common on the big
rivers, but I have only once seen it in Lucknow, when I shot
a single specimen in cold weather on the banks of the
Goomti near the Martiniére College. In October 1899, I
killed two near the big jheel at Ajgaen. Reid says that in
the cold weather he has seen it on fallow land or newly
ploughed fields about the Chowka and Gogra, in flocks of
from 10 to 30. I have only seen it in pairs, or, at most, in
parties of four or five.
Birds of Lucknow. 159
On April 9th, 1898, I took two eggs on an island in the
Ganges at Fatehgarh. They were laid in a hollow in the
sand near some tufts of grass. They measured 2°15” x 1:43”
and 2°18” x 1:35” respectively. In colour they resembled
those of Ci. scolopax.
No. 1422. Cursorrus coromanpeticus. Indian Courser.
Nukri, Karbanak [H.].
This Courier-Plover, with its china-white legs, is fairly
common on the bare sandy maidans or on fallow land. It
is rarely, I think, found near water. I have never heard
it make any call. Eggs have been brought to me which,
from their size and the fact that they were only found
singly or in pairs, seem to have been correctly identified. I
have four of various shades of stone-colour richly marked
with dark brown, averaging 1°32” x 1:02”.
No. 1425. Guarerora orientaLis. Large Indian Pratin-
cole or Swallow-Plover.
Captain Irby says of this species that it was “seen at
Alumbagh (three miles from Lucknow) in January 1858.”
Two skins (¢ ? adult) are in the Museum, purchased locally.
No, 1427. Guarnoua tactea. Small Indian Pratincole or
Swallow-Plover.
Common on all the big rivers. I have, moreover, seen it
once or twice in the cold weather on the Goomti. I have
taken numbers of its eggs on the sand-banks of the Ganges
[Fatehgarh] and the Gogra [Fyzabad]in April. Hume speaks,
if I remember rightly, of four being the full clutch, but I
have never found more than two. When near their treasures,
these pretty little birds simulate lameness and broken wings
to perfection, quite outdoing the Partridge or the Peewit.
In colour the eggs are of a pale greenish grey, buff, or
stone-colour, lightly marked with brown and lilac. There
is no nest, only a hollow in the sand.
Average of 21 Fyzabad and Fatehgarh eggs,. 1:03'"x°81"
yt
Measurement of largest egg... secs seen PAST xeToy
LOFT X-S2i4 0
smallest €po ohana ve viv ves 0:96" « *80"’
160 Mr. W. Jesse on the
No. 1428. Mertoriprus 1npicus. Bronze-winged Jacana.
The Bronze-winged Jacana is less common on the big
jheels than it used to be before so much of the land was
drained. It breeds at Mohanlalganj, where I once found its
nest—merely a mass of teased-out water-weeds—at the end
of July. The three eggs on this occasion were fresh, of a
beautiful bronze-yellow, thickly scrawled over with black
lines, and were highly glossy. They measured 1°43” x :99”,
1°43” x 99", 1:45” x -99” respectively.
No. 1429. Hypropuyasianus currurcus. Pheasant-tailed
Jacana.
Thil-Moorgah [H.]. Golden-headed Coot [Martiniére
boys].
Very common and a permanent resident. In its handsome
breeding-plumage it is so different from what it is in its
winter garb that, to the unobservant, it might seem a distinct
species. The cry is like the mewing of a cat. It breeds
in July and August, making a nest of weeds, and laying
four pegtop-shaped, glossy-olive or bronze-green eggs. Like
those of the preceding species, they are usually more or
less in the water. One clutch in my possession, of a par-
ticularly elongated form, is dirty green, faintly spotted and
speckled with greenish brown, and not nearly so glossy as
usual.
Average of 13 Lucknow eggs ........+- 1:46" x 1:08"
Measurement of largest egg ......00. oe 1b4 x ECS”
5 smallestiege <....5..-.. 136 LOL
+- No. 1430. *Srrepstzas inTERPRES. Turnstone.
In the Provincial Museum are four skins marked “ Luck-
now.” There are no further details, and, as the bird is not
mentioned by Reid in his list, I enter it very doubtfully.
No. 1431. Sarcocrammus inpicus. Red-wattled Lap-
wing.
Titiri* [H.]. ‘ Did-you-do-it ” [Anglo-Indian] ; Stone-
Plover [| Martiniére boys].
Common and widely spread over the Division, but rarely
found in any numbers. I have only taken the eggs on two
or three occasions. <A scraping in the ground with a fringe
* Generally used for all the Plovers,
Birds of Lucknow, 161
of small bits of kunker forms the nest. The eggs are four,
of the usual Plover type.
Average of 14 Lucknow eges ........ 6b xs”
Measurement of largest ege .......... LA SeiOu!
s smallest ego ......., 152" x 1:14"
The breeding-season is from the end of March to August.
During the rains many individuals lay their eggs amongst
the kunker ballast of the railway-lines.
No. 1433. SarciopHorus MALABARICUS. Yellow-wattled
Lapwing.
Not numerous, but a pair or two may be met with on
most open maiddns. They are never found near water, like
the Red-wattled Plovers. In the cold weather they often
collect into small parties of from six to eight. In this
district the breeding-season is in May, June, and July, and
perhaps April. ‘The nest and eggs are merely small counter-
parts of those of Sarcogrammus indicus.
Average of 13 Lucknow eges ........ 1:47” x 1:08”
Measurement of largest egg .......... 1°52" 1:09"
5 smallest egg ........ 1-40" x 1-08"
[?] No, 1434. Microsarcors cinereus. Grey-headed Lap-
wing.
Included by Irby in his list, but I agree with Reid that a
mistake has been made. At any rate, 1 mark it with a
query until its occurrence is satisfactorily determined.
No. 1435. Hoprorrerus ventrauis. Indian Spur-winged
Plover.
Common on the Gogra, Ganges, and all the big rivers,
but I have only once seen it on the Goomti, close to the
Martiniére. I have taken numbers of its eggs, of the usual
Plover type, on the sandbanks of the rivers, in April.
Average of 9 Fatehgarh eges ........ 1547 %1°13"
Measurement of largest egg .......... GG ella
4) smallest ege.......... 1-49’ x 1:10"
+No. 1436. Vanevuius vutcaris. Lapwing.
Saehoor (?) [H., ¢este Reid].
The Peewit is fairly common durmg the cold weather, but
departs about March.
SER. VIII,—VOL. III. M
162 Mr. W. Jesse on the
No. 1437. Currrusta crecaria. Sociable Lapwing.
Reid never met with this bird, and only included it on
Irby’s authority. I have occasionally observed it in small
flocks in the middle of the cold weather on fallow ground,
the members keeping apart. I have always found them
very tame and easy to approach, even in the open.
No. 1438. Cuerrusta tevcura. White-tailed Lapwing.
Very common on jheels during the cold weather in small
flocks of rarely more than ten. It is a very quiet bird,
remarkably tame, and easy to approach.
+No. 1439. Cuaraprius rutvus. Eastern Golden Plover.
Turali (?) [H., teste Reid].
Of recent years I have found this bird scarce, though
flocks are occasionally met with on the maidans. In April
1901 Mr. A. C. Bryson and I came upon a large flock on a
sandbank in the Gogra, near Fyzabad.
+-No. 1440. *CuHaraprivs pLuviatis. Golden Plover.
Reid got a single specimen (2 ad.) one winter near
Lucknow, but no one has recorded it since.
—+-No. 1441. *Squataroza neLveETIca. . Grey Plover.
There are two old skins in the Museum, labelled Luck-
now, which Reid apparently overlooked.
No. 1446, ANetaitis ALEXANDRINA. Kentish Plover.
Common on the big rivers, where I have found it in full
breeding-plumage in April. I could, however, obtain no
proof of its nesting. After rain it is often to be found,
singly or in pairs, on the sandy plains or maidins. I am
not sure whether it is a permanent resident: I think not.
+ No. 1447. Aieiariris pupa. Little Ringed Plover.
A fairly common resident, particularly on big rivers.
Major Newnham, I.8.C., found it breeding on ithe sandbanks
of the Gogra at Fyzabad, in April, and I have met with
it on those of the Ganges at Fatehgarh in the same month.
Three fresh eggs, that I took from a scraping in the sand,
measure 1:12” x-80", 1:10” x°78"%, 1:09" x:78" respec-
tively.
Birds of Lucknow. 1638
No. 1451. Himanvorus canpipvus. Black-winged Stilt.
Gaj-paun, Tinghur [H.].
Very common in the cold weather, I do not think that it
actually breeds with us, but it does so, apparently, near Delhi,
and possibly elsewhere.
No. 1452. *RucurvirostRa avocerra. Avocet.
Reid does not include this species in his list, but he
obtained a specimen, and two more are also in the Museum,
all being from Lucknow. Mr. Pyne, of the Opium Depart-
ment, saw one near Rae Baréli, just beyond our limits.
-+No. 1454. Numenrus arquata. Curlew.
Burra Goolinda [H.].
So far as my experience goes, this species is common during
the cold weather on or near the big rivers, but rare elsewhere,
+ No. 1455. Numenius pomorus. Whimbrel.
Chota Goolinda. |
Reid says that this species is quite as common as the last.
Such is not my experience, for I can only recollect seeing
it near Lucknow on one occasion.
No. 1456. Limosa peteica. Black-tailed Godwit.
Tangral, Khag [H.].
Common during the cold weather, sometimes singly, more
often in flocks.
No. 1460. Toranus Hypoteucus. Common Sandpiper.
Common during the cold weather, particularly along the
edges of the rivers.
No. 1461. Toranus GuarREora. Wood- Sandpiper.
Tootwari [H.]. Snippet {Anglo-Indians] +.
Very common, particularly on shallow rushy jheels. It
is a perfect nuisance to the Snipe-shooter. It has a musky
smell and is poor eating.
t+ No. 1462. Toranus ocurorus. Green Sandpiper.
Very abundant during the winter, some individuals
departing as late as the end of April, and returning as
early as July. This bird is the Khansaman’s “ ishnipe.”
y These names are given to all the smaller Sandpipers.
M 2
164 Mr. W. Jesse on the
The true Snipe is rarely captured near Lucknow, so far as
T can learn.
No. 1463. Toranus stacnatinis, Marsh-Sandpiper or
Little Greenshank.
Common during the cold weather, but apparently confining
itself mostly to jheels with a muddy foreshore.
No. 1464. Toranus cauipris. Redshank.
Common during the cold weather on large jheels.
No. 1465. Toranus ruscus. Spotted Redshank.
Gutni, Soorma [| H., teste Reid}.
Fairly common during the cold weather, and frequenting
the same localities as the last species.
-+-No. 1466. Toranus eLorris. Greenshank.
Tuntuni [1.].
Fairly common, and usually seen alone, or at most with
one or two companions.
+-No. 1468. Pavoncrenta pucnax. Ruff.
Very common all through the cold weather in flocks.
No. 1471. Trinea minuta. Little Stint.
Occurs im large flocks on the muddy foreshores of jheels
and rivers throughout the cold weather.
No. 1474. Trinca temmMinckl. Yemminck’s Stint.
Very common in the same localities as the last-named.
+ No. 1477. Trrnea suparquata. Curlew Stint or Pigmy
Curlew.
According to Reid, this species is only common during
October and April, when it is probably on passage. Two
local skims are in the Museum, one of which is in summer
plumage.
+ No. 1478. Trinea atpina. Dunlin.
A cold-weather visitor, frequenting the same localities as
the last-named.
No. 1483. (?) Gatuinaco NeMoricota. MW ood-Snipe.
Reid wrote:—“I have on several occasions, but not of
late years, flushed a large, dark, solitary: Snipe when out
Birds of Lucknow. 165
wild-fow] Shooting. On the occasions referred to it gene-
rally rose from amongst the weeds, within four or five yards
of the jheel side. It surely could not have been G. solituria,
though it was either this or G. nemoricola.”
I also once flushed a similar bird in a similar spot, but
missed it.
+No. 1484. Garirnaco CELESTIS, Common Snipe.
Chaha, Pukka Chaha EE ;
Very common throughout the cold weather, stragglers
arriving in September and departing at the end of April.
The best shooting is from the middle of November to the
end of February, when flocks of nearly a thousand have
been seen.
No. 1485. Gatiinaco srenvura. Pintail Snipe.
Reid only got one specimen, so it must be a rare visitor
to the district.
No. 1487. Gauuinaco GaLuinuLa. Jack Snipe.
Chota Chaha [H.}.
Very common throughout the cold weather. On one
occasion I saw a Jack Snipe being hawked by a pair of
Falcons (F. jugger), two Kites, a Tawny Eagle, and two
more Raptors, all of which the Snipe finally eluded.
No. 1488. Rosrraruna capensis. Painted Snipe.
Fairly common at times, and a more or less permanent
resident. I rather fancy it breeds at Mohanlalganj, as I
have flushed a pair now and then during the breeding-
season, though I have never found the nest.
*No. 1489. Larus icuruyartus. Great Black-headed
Gull.
There is one adult skin (3d) in the Lucknow Museum.
obtained locally.
No. 1491. Larus prunnetcerpaus. Brown-headed Gull.
Dhomra + [H.].
Not verycommon. Reid says that it is more numerous on
the big rivers than elsewhere.
7 Appled to Gulls generally,
166 Mr. W. Jesse on the
No. 1495. *Larus cacutnnans. Yellow-legged Herring-
Gull.
Common on the Gogra and Ganges during the cold
weather, and not unfrequently met with on some of the
large shallow jheels. The only example that I have actually
obtained within our limits was caught by a bird-catcher
on a jheel in the direction of Sitapur.
+-No. 1496. Hyprocunnmon uysripa. Whiskered Tern.
A very common and permanent resident, but decreasing
on account of the more efficient dramage. It breeds during
August and September on the large jheels.
+ No. 1499. Sterna aneuica. Gull-billed Tern.
Common during the cold weather, particularly about the
big rivers. [I saw numbers of this Tern on the Gogra in
April 1901, but could find no nest or eggs, though the
birds were in breeding condition.
No. 1503. Sterna seena. Indian River-Tern.
Titri [H.]. Gull [Anglo-Indian boys] tf.
Very common, particularly on the big rivers. It is a
permanent resident, and I have taken dozens of eggs on the
Gogra and Ganges in April. They are of various shades of
stone-colour, greenish, pinkish, or buff, and double-spotted.
Three is the full clutch.
Average of 12 Fyzabad and Fatehgarh eggs.. 1°67" x 1:22"
Measurement of largest ege........ Baecko aaic 174" 1:24"
smallest ege . sre sive cieid oon oie 1:60" X 117"
No. 1504. Sterna mevanocasteR. Black-bellied Tern.
Common, but not so numerous as S. seena, in company
with which it breeds. The eggs are similar, but smaller.
Average of 9 Fatehgarh eges ........ 135 O00”
Measurement of largest egg ...... wie eta Loo LOLS
5 smallest egg ........ LSa2e x98"
No. 1510. Sterna minuta. Little Tern.
The least common of the Terns, but fairly numerous on
the big rivers. It is a permanent resident, and I found it
+ These names are applied to all River-Terns.
Birds of Lucknow. 167
breeding on a sandbank in the Gogra at Fyzabad in company
with other Terns, Skimmers, and Swallow-Plovers.
Average of 9 Fyzabad eggs .......... 1:21" x0°91"
Measurement of largest egg .......... 1:33" x 0:92”
a smallest egy.......... 17 X03
No. 1517. Ruyncnors axpsicotits. Indian Skimmer or
Scissor-bill.
Panchira [H.].
A permanent resident, common on the big rivers, and occa-
sionally seen on the Goomti. I have taken its eggs, three
or four in a clutch, on the sandbanks of the Gogra and
Ganges in April.
Average of 15 Fyzabad eggs ............ LGL" Xx ielGl
Measurement of largest ege ............ Ue Pes 3 ol Ys
as smallest ege .......... 1-56" x Else
No. 1520. Prtecanus roseus. Hastern White Pelican.
Fairly common on the big jheels and rivers in the cold
weather, and, according to Irby, in the “ rains.”
No. 1521. *PreLEecanus onocrotatus. White Pelican.
In the cold weather of 1899-1900 Mr. Marlboro Crosse,
of the Educational Department, procured a specimen for
me in the District, and there is also a skin (juv.) in the
Museum.
No. 1522. PeLecanus criseus. Dalmatian Pelican.
Mr. Reid wrote :—‘* The Dalmatian Pelican is represented
in the Museum by, I suppose, locally-purchased specimens,
and Mr. Hume has obtaimed it from near Fyzabad. ‘There
can, therefore, be little doubt that it occurs in the Division,
at any rate on the Gogra—a river very much frequented by
Pelicans.” I cannot find these skins.
No. 1523. PeLtecanus pHtLippensts. Spotted-billed Pelican.
Chota Howasal, Talasind [H.].
Common, particularly during the “rains” and early cold
weather, on the bigger jheels and rivers.
168 Mr. W. Jesse on the
4+No. 1526. PHatacrocorax carBo. Large Cormorant.
Pan-kowa, Tal-kowa +.
Fairly common on big jheels and on the Goomti and other
rivers. I know nothing of its breeding anywhere round
Lucknow.
No. 1527. *Puatacrocorax Fuscrcotiis. Indian Shag.
Apparently very rare here. The only specimen I know
of is one (¢) obtained by Reid, after he published his
“List,” which is now in the Museum.
No. 1528. PHavacrocorax gavanicus. Little Cormorant.
Common and a permanent resident. I have not yet found
the nest, though eggs have been sent to me by Mr. S. L.
Whymper from the neighbouring district of Bahraich.
No. 1529. Prorus meExanocastErR. Indian Darter or
Snake-bird.
A common and permanent resident.
No. 1541. Isis mMevanocrerHata. White Ibis.
Munda, Didhar, Safed Buza [H.]}.
Common on the bigger jheels during the cold weather.
I do not know of this species breeding near Lucknow.
No. 1542. Inocoris parittosus. Black Ibis.
Bhooja, Buza, Kurkool [H.]. King- Curlew [Anglo-
Indian sportsmen].
Common and a permanent resident. I have taken its eggs,
sea-green, with a few spots and markings of brown, from
_large stick-nests on palms or tamarinds during July. Three
seem to make the full clutch.
Average of 6 Lucknow eggs .......... 2°48" x 1-69”
Measurement of largest eg@z..... 0.20... PHS Ga bey ats
45 smallest eye .......... 2°39!" 1°69"
This bird is splendid eating.
--No. 1544. Piecapis rFaALcINELLUS. Glossy Ibis.
Kewari, Chota Buza [H.].
According to Reid very common, but of late years seems
to have deserted us to a great extent. It is only a cold-
weather visitant.
+ Applied to all Cormorants.
Birds of Lucknow. 169
No. 1545. Praratea Leucoropia. Spoonbill.
Chamach-Buza [H.].
A cold-weather visitor, fairly common in certain parts of
the district.
No. 1546. Crconra aupa. White Stork.
Ghybur !H.].
Occurs, but not very frequently, in flocks during the cold
weather.
No. 1548. Dissura episcopus. White-necked Stork.
Lag-Lag, Nuhri, Lohri [H.j. Beef-steak-bird [Anglo-
Indians].
A common and permanent resident. It breeds in high
trees, laying three or four white eggs, in July and August.
The only nest that I have found was on a big tamarind in
the centre of a village. On the same tree were nests of the
Grey-necked Crow | Corvus splendens|, Paddy-bird [ Ardeola
grayi|, and Little Egret [ Herodias garzetta |.
Four eggs which I possess measure—2°65/’ x 1°84”, 2°50" X
ESOn 2 200 x 185252 87”:
No. 1549. Xenoruyncuus astaricus. Black-necked Stork.
Banaras, Lohargunj [H.]. Australian Stork [Huropean
sportsmen].
Numerically scarce, but, nevertheless, a permanent resi-
dent. Breeds apparently towards the end of the rains and
at the beginning of the cold weather. Reid found the nest,
“a huge platform of sticks on the top of a pipal tree near a
swamp,” with three half-fledged young on November 15th,
and Lt.-Colonel Thornhill tells me that he has taken the
eggs in the Bareilly district during the cold weather.
No. 1550. Leprorritus pusius. Adjutant.
Peda-dkank [H.].
Appears to visit us only during the “rains,” and is then
scarce.
No. 1551. Leproprinus savanicus. Smaller Adjutant.
The above remarks apply to this species. So far as I can
170 Mr. W. Jesse on the
recollect, the only place where I have seen Adjutants is in
the Martiniére Park by the pools which are formed in the:
“ rains.”
No. 1552. PszvuporantaLus LeucocrrHaLus. Painted
Stork.
Thangil [H.].
This species is more common in the Hardoi district than
with us. It is a permanent resident, and is, like the Open-bill
and other Storks, very fond of shallow rushy jheels and
well-saturated cultivated tracts. Reid states that “it is easily
tamed, and will answer to its name like a dog.”
No. 1558. Anastomus oscitans. Open-bill.
Very common and a permanent resident. Dozens may
be seen during the cold weather on the jheels on either side
of the road leading to Mohanlalganj. It breeds near
Nigohan, where Mr. E. Slane took some eggs in August.
No. 1554. Arpea ManiILiensis. Hastern Purple Heron.
A permanent resident, but not very numerous. It breeds
north of us in Bahraich, whence Mr. 8. L. Whymper sent
me eggs taken at the end of July.
¥- No. 1555. Arpra cINEREA. Common Heron.
Sain, Kabud, Chanak [H.].
Fairly common and a permanent resident, breeding with
Egrets and Paddy-birds on tall trees—tamarinds and pipals
for choice—during the rains.
Average of 8 Lucknow eggs .......... 2°33" 1:69"
Measurement of largest ege............ 2°47" X 1:68"
to) toto)
oe BMBlEStEL lt... crease 2/2 DE axe Oe
No. 1559. Heropias aupa. Large Egret.
Tar-bogla [H.].
A permanent resident, but not very numerous. I found
it breeding in company with Ardea cinerea on a mighty
pipal-tree in July, but my men could not climb the branches,
which were very slippery, as, while we were out, four inches
of rain fell in a little over six hours.
Birds of Lucknow. 171
No. 1560. Heropias tnterMepia. Smaller Egret.
Karchia-bogla [H.].
Fairly common and a permanent resident. I found it
breeding in company with the Little Egret and the Paddy-
bird in July on two tamarinds in the centre of a native
village. The nests and eggs resemble those of Ardea
cinerea, but are smaller.
Average of 5 Lucknoweges .......... 1:86" 1-41"
Measurement of largest egg ............ 1:88” x 1:50”
smallest egg .......... 1:80 536"
No. 1561. Heropias Garzerta. Little Egret.
Karchia-bogla [H.].
The commonest of the white Egrets, and a permanent
resident. It breeds in company with allied species in the
TANS:
Average of 6 Lucknow eggs .......... 1:36" X 1:31"
Measurement of largest egg ............ 1:89” x 1:30”
i smallest ege .......... 1:83" x 1:31"
No. 1562. Busutcus coromannus. Cattle-Egret.
Surkia-bogla, Badami-bogla, Lal-bogla [H.1].
Common and a permanent resident. I once found two
tamarinds in a village literally covered with nests of this
species. With them were also those of <Ardeola grayi,
Herodias intermedia, and H. garzetta. This was in July.
Average of 24 Lucknow eggs .......... Pil <aoe
Measurement of largest egg............ 1°83" 1:37"
ys smallest 6Ge wn. << "1-66" x 1:25"
No. 1565. ArpnoLta Grayi. Pond-Heron.
Bogla [| H.]. Paddy-bird [Anglo-Indian].
The Pond-Heron, or, as he is more generally called, the
Paddy-bird, is one of the commonest of Indian species. Not
a pond or ditch but harbours one or more. It is very tame,
and carries on its business a few feet away from a dhobi
washing clothes, perfectly indifferent to his presence. It
breeds in this district from April to July, laying three or
four sea-green eggs in a stick nest on some tamarind or
172 Mr. W. Jesse on the
other tree. Numbers breed together, in company with
various Waders, generally close to or in a village.
Average of 12 Lucknow eggs ..... Face aplcbal Saison
Measurement of largest egg.......066-- 1:60" 1:19"
7 smallest egg ..,..-.0° 38 Kar
No. 1567. *Buroripes gavanica. Little Green Heron.
Not uncommon, but, from its crepuscular habits, usually
overlooked. I often see it towards evening fishing in the
Goomti. It is a permanent resident, but 1 have not yet
taken its eggs.
No. 1568. Nycricorax Griseus. Night-Heron.
Ko Krai, Wak [H.].
A common and permanent resident. Its ery of “ wak,
wak,” as it flies at sundown towards the river, must be
familiar to everyone. I have not yet succeeded in locating a
breeding-place, but eggs have been sent to me from Bahraich
by Mr. Whymper.
No. 1571. *Arpetta sinensis. Yellow Bittern.
Mr. B. G. Smithe shot a specimen on a Snipe-jheel near
Lucknow, in March 1899, and kindly sent me the skin,
which is now in the Museum. I have not met with it myself.
No. 1572. Arnorerra ciINNAMOMEA. Chestnut Bittern.
The Museum contains one locally-obtained skin, and Reid
apparently got another from a native fowler in August.
Beyond this I know nothing of its occurrence here.
No. 1574. Boraurus stevuaris. Bittern.
Mergaon [H., ¢este Reid].
Not uncommon in some seasons. I have often flushed it
in long rushes when Snipe-shooting. It rises slowly and
flaps along over the reeds, and so is easily shot, if required
for the Museum. It is, of course, only a cold-weather
visitor.
No. 1575. Pu@nicoprerus rosgeus. Flamingo.
Hans, Bag-Hans, Raj-Hans | H.].
The Flamingo is common, according to Reid, during the cold
weather on the great shallow jheels in the direction of Unao
Birds of Lucknow. 173
and Hardoi. It does not come near the city, as a rule; but
Major Newnham, the Cantonment Magistrate of Lucknow,
has seen some individuals on a jheel near the Jellalabad Fort.
Years ago a tame Flamingo used to frequent the compound
of the Museum.
No. 1579. ANSER FERUS. Grey Lag-Goose.
Hans, Raj-Hans, Sawen [ H.].
Occurs in large numbers during the cold weather. In the
daytime the birds keep chiefly to the middle of the big
jheels, and rarely allow anyone to approach within a couple
of hundred yards.
[I forwarded two skins, labelled by Reid Anser brachy-
rhynchus, to Mr. Kugene Oates, who has kindly examined
them for me. They are nothing more than Anser ferus, and,
as Mr. Oates says, how they came to be wrongly identified
is a mystery. |
+ No. 1580. Anser autprrrons. White-fronted Goose.
Two locally procured specimens are in the Museum.
No. 1581. Awnser rEryruropus. Lesser White-fronted
Goose.
I have never come across this Goose myself, but Reid shot
some eight or nine examples on the Ajgaen jheels, which he
believed to belong to this species. Dr. Bonavia got a specimen
—now, I fancy, in the Hume collection,
the bird.
and Irby mentions
No. 1583. ANsER InpDIcus. Barred-headed Goose.
Hans, Kareyi-Hans, Sawen [H.].
Very common in some places, but I think that strictly
within the Lucknow Division the Grey Lag-Goose is the
at least that is my experience.
more numerous
No. 1584, Sarcrpiornis MeLANoNotUs. Comb-Duck.
Nukta (H.].
Common on the large grassy jheels. It is not a wary
bird, and is comparatively easy to shoot. It breeds in the
Division.
174: Mr. W. Jesse on the
No. 1586. RHopDONESSA CARYOPHYLLACEA. Pink-headed
Duck.
Golab Lal-sir [H.].
A rare winter visitor. The native fowlers say that it is
more often met with in the “ rains.”’
No. 1587. Taporna cornuta. Sheldrake.
Rararia, Safed-Surkhab [H., éeste Reid |.
A very uncommon Duck, but there are four skins (¢ ?
? 2), obtamed locally, in the Lucknow Museum.
+-No. 1588. Carsarca Rutita. Ruddy Sheldrake or Brah-
miny Duck.
Chakwa-chakwi | H.].
The Brahminy is found all over the Division during the
cold weather in small parties of from four to thirty, as well as
in pairs. It is very wary, and a great nuisance to the
sportsman, as it considers it its duty to warn eyery Duck
in the vicinity. Only the natives eat it.
No. 1589. Drenprocycna gavanica. Whistling Teal.
Chota Silai [H.]}.
A fairly common and permanent resident. According to
Reid, it is a stupid bird, but I have not found itso. Wounded
individuals dive almost as much as Pochards and are difficult
to recover.
No. 1590. Denprocycna ruLtva. Large Whistling Teal.
_ Bara Silai [H.].
Rare. I doubt if this species is a permaneni resident
with us.
No. 1591. Nerropus coromanpetianus. Cotton Teal.
Garria, i.||:
A common and permanent resident. It breeds with us in
July and August, making a nest in holes of trees. I found
a pair breeding in a great pipal-tree near the Sanoda jheel.
There were six eggs, of which only two were unbroken.
These were of a satiny cream-colour, and measured 1°78" x
1:34" and 1:76" x 1°34" respectively.
Birds of Lucknow. l
“I
OL
4—No. 1592. Anas Boscas. Mallard.
Nil-rugi, Nil-sir [H.].
Not common. I have seen it occasionally, but never shot
it, on the Mohanlalganj jheels.
No. 1593. Anas pa@cinorHyNcHA. Spotted-billed Duck.
Garm-pai, Battak + [H.].
A common and permanent resident. It is one of the best
Ducks for eating. When wounded it dives and is difficult to
recover.
No. 1594. EKunrrra ratcata. Crested or Falcated Teal.
Kala Sinkhur [H., ¢este Reid].
Apparently visits us occasionally in the cold weather, as
there are two skins in the Museum.
+t. No. 1595. CHAULELASMUS STREPERUS. Gadwall.
‘
Bhuar, Mila [H.].
A very common cold-weather visitor.
-| No. 1597. Nrrrium crecca. Common Teal.
Putari, Souchuruka, Litka-Litki ¢ [H.].
Very common, arriving in October and departing as late
as the end of April. It is generally found in flocks, large
or small, but several individuals may always be met with,
particularly in the early morning or towards evening, by
gomg round amongst the rushes at the edge of the jheels.
-+- No. 1599. Marerca PENELOPE. Wigeon.
Chota Lal-sir, Phariah [H.].
I have never found the Wigeon common, but probably,
as Reid says, it is an erratic visitor, being scarce in some
seasons and more numerous in others.
+~No. 1600. Dariza acuta. Pintail.
Sink-pur [ H.].
This species visits us during the cold weather, and is found
in large flocks on all the big jheels, but is very difficult to
shoot. I must have watched literally thousands passing
+ Used for all Ducks.
{ Used indifferently for all small Ducks and Teal.
176 Mr. W. Jesse on the
overhead, but well out of range, while sitting one day by the
side of the great Déwa jheel.
No. 1601. QurrquEeputa crrcia. Garganey or Blue-
winged Teal.
Putari, Khira [H.].
Visits us, ike the Common Teal, in immense quantities
early in the cold weather. It appears to go south in large
numbers after November, returning about February. As a
rule, it is wilder than the Common Teal, and keeps to bigger
stretches of water.
+ No. 1602. Sparuta cLypeata. Shoveller.
Ghirah, Tokarwala [H.].
A very common Duck during the cold weather, not leaving
until the end of March or even later, by which time most of
the males have assumed their breeding-plumage. Except at
migration-time, the Shoveller is rarely found in flocks, though
it frequently associates with other Ducks, and, as Reid has
remarked, it is no uncommon sight to see an old Shoveller
leading a bunch of Teal across country at a rattling pace.
It may be found on any little bit of water or dirty village-
pond.
No. 1603. MarMaronerra aneustirostRis. Marbled Duck.
A rare winter visitor. The late Capt. Gaine, R.A.M.C.,
gave me a skin of this bird which he had shot near Lucknow.
Another in the Museum was obtained from a fowier, and a
third has since been brought to me,
+.No. 1604. Nerra rurina. Red-crested Pochard.
~ Lal-sir, Lal-conch [H.].
This handsome Duck is common enough on some of the
large jheels, generally, according to my experience, in small
flocks. It is rather a late species to arrive.
No. 1605. Nyroca rertna. Pochard or Dun-bird.
Lal-sir [H.].
A fairly common Duck, sometimes found in flocks, some-
times in twos and threes mixed up with other species. It
arrives about November and departs at the end of February.
Birds of Lucknow. rere
No. 1606. Nyroca rerruainea. White-eyed Pochard.
Burna [H., deste Reid].
This fine little Pochard is very common and is fond
of large weedy jheels. Though it breeds in Kashmir, it
is, of course, only a cold-weather visitor here. In many
parts of India it is considered worthless to eat, but I think
it quite one of the best Lucknow Ducks. [Nyroca baeri, the
Eastern White-eye, I have not yet come across. Possibly
nobody has happened to notice the blackish instead of the
rufous head and neck. |
+No. 1608. *Nyroca marina. Scaup.
Major Thompson, R.A.M.C., who is well acquainted with
this species in Europe, shot a single specimen near Lucknow
in the winter of 1893. Unfortunately he did not preserve
the skin.
No. 1609., Nyroca rutieuta. Tufted Duck.
Rahwara, Allak [H.]. Golden-eye [many European
sportsmen |.
Fairly common during the cold weather on certain of the
large jheels, but, according to my experience, rather local.
It occurs chiefly in small flocks.
No. 1610. CLianeuta GLaucion. Golden-cye.
The only person who appears to have obtained this Duck,
so rare with us, is Dr. Bonavia. Major Thompson, R.A.M.C.,
once told me that he believed he had seen, if not shot, it; but
all the “ Golden-eyes ” that have been reported to me have
turned out to be Nyroca fuligula.
+ No. 1612. Mercus ALBELLUS. Smew.
Thalow (?) [H., teste Reid].
Not at allcommon. Reid states that it is very wild and
difficult to approach. It seems to occur only im the very
coldest months in flocks of about a dozen.
No. 1615. Popicivres cristatus. Great Crested Grebe.
Thang (?) [H , teste Reid].
Common during the cold weather. The majority, I fancy,
migrate, but some pairs evidently remain and occasionally
SER. VIII.—VOL. IIT. N
178 Count T. Salvadori on the
breed, as the late Mr. A. Anderson found eggs, if my
memory does not fail me, on some jheels by the side of the
railway between Lucknow and Hardoi.
No. 1617. Popicipes auereennis. Indian Little Grebe or
Dabchick.
Pandubi, Thilduhi [H.].
A very common and permanent resident. I have taken
its eggs several times on the weedy ponds which form in
hollows near villages during the “rains.” Eggs four to six in
number, white at first, but brown or chocolate after being
stained in the nest of wet weeds.
Average of 11 Lucknow eggs .......... 1:38" x 0°93"
Measurement of largest egg 1:44" x 0:95"
pmpllesti ego 22.2% weer. 1:35'' x 0-90"
oO
ot
XVI.—On the Ibis olivacea of Dubus.
By T. Satvapori, F.M.Z.S.
Tue Ibis olivacea of Dubus is perhaps the least known of the
members of the family Ibididz, and one about which many
mistakes have been made, even quite lately. Having recently
received an adult specimen, procured by Signor Leonardo
Fea in Prince’s Island, I hope to be able to settle the
status of the species.
Ibis olivacea was first described by Dubus (Bull. Ac. Brux.
1837, p. 105), who gave at the same time a very good
figure, which, strange to say, has remained unnoticed by
every ornithologist treating of this species. The type-
specimen was contained in a box of skins, said to be from
Guinea, bought by the King of the Belgians, and presented
to the Museum of Natural History of Brussels. The box
contained also the type-specimen of Ardea calceolata, de-
scribed and figured by Dubus in the same Bulletin*.
Later, in 1845, Dubus again figured Ibis olivacea in his
‘ Esquisses Ornithologiques,’ i. pl. 3. Apparently from this
figure Reichenbach took that which he published in the
* “Description dune Espéce nouvelle de Héron,” par le Chevalier
B. Dubus (op. cit. pp. 89-41, pl.).
Ibis olivacea of Dubus. 179
‘Grallatores’ (t. 133. f. 2384) ; but while Dubus carefully
figured the tarsi covered anteriorly with small hexagonal
scales, Reichenbach represented them covered anteriorly with
transverse scales !
G. R. Gray, in 1849 (Gen. B., App. p. 26), included Jbis
olivacea in the genus Geronticus, while Reichenbach, in 1852
(Av. Syst. Nat. p. xiv), placed it in the genus Comatibis,
and Hartlaub, in 1854 (J. f. O. 1854, p. 295), in the genus
Harpiprion. Bonaparte, in 1855, included it first (Compt.
Rend. xl. p. 725, n. 166) in the genus Bostrychia, and after-
wards (Consp. Gen. Av. ii. p. 153) in the genus Hagedashia,
adding that J. olivacea was represented not only in the
Museum of Brussels, but also in the Paris Museum. I am
not aware that the latter statement has been confirmed.
We now come to Cassin, who first, in 1857 (Pr. Ac.
Philad. 1857, p. 39), attributed to bis olivacea a young bird
obtained by Duchaillu on the River Muni, saying :—“A
young bird, but evidently of this species... . General
colours as figured by Baron Dubus, but with the feathers
of the neck and breast having large central spots of dark
fulvous, with which also a few of the feathers of the crest
are striped longitudinally.”
Two years later (Pr. Ac. Philad. 1859, p. 174), in a
‘Catalogue of Birds collected on the Rivers Camma and
Ogobai by Duchaillu,’ Cassin again mentioned Ibis olivacea,
saying :—‘‘ Several specimens from the Camma, and formerly
from the Moonda. The adult of this handsome species is
described and figured very accurately by the Baron Dubus.
Young ¢. General colours as in the adult, but paler.
Under parts of the body with large oval spots of dull
yellowish.” I think that as Cassin was able from his
specimens to judge of the great accuracy of Dubus’s de-
scription and figure, we may assume that his identification
was correct.
Schlegel, in 1863 (Mus. P.-B., Ibis, p. 9) made the rash
supposition that J. olivacea was the same as /bis comata,
but Heuglin, in 1873 (Orn. N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 1145), shewed
that the surmise was quite untenable.
180 Count T. Salvadori on the
Nothing more was heard of Jdts olivacea till Dohrn visited
Prince’s Island, and there found the bird (P. Z. S. 1866,
p- 330). Mr. Keulemans, who accompanied Dr. Dohrn, has,
moreover, given a good account of it (Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk.
lll. p. 39).
Dr. Reichenow has also attributed to J. olivacea a young
bird from Kameroon (J. f. O. 1874, p. 378; 1890, p. 108),
the description of which agrees pretty well with that of the
young given by Cassin; only Dr. Reichenow describes the
bird as having the auricular region edged below by a whitish
stripe, a feature found in Hagedashia hagedash, but certainly
wanting at least in the adult of J. olivacea, which has the
auricular coverts paler, slightly indicating a pale or whitish
band.
This was the status of J. olivacea when Mr. Elliot in 1877
published (P. Z. S. 1877, pp. 477-510) his ‘ Review of the
Ibidine’’ ; in this paper the author described and figured,
under the name of Lampribis (nov. gen.) olivacea (Dubus),
some birds from Denkera, in Ashantee, sent by Ussher,
which have since been supposed to belong to a different
species. These specimens, however, agree very well with the
young or immature birds described by Cassin as the young of
Ibis olivacea.
Since the publication of Elliot’s paper, J. olivacea has been
mentioned by Mr. Bittikofer among the birds of Liberia,
specimens having been collected in several places [Not. Leyd.
Mus. vii. (1885) p. 243; x. (1888) p.. 101; xi. (1889)
p. 127] ; but of these I shall treat presently.
Ibis olivacea was found also in the island of 8S. Thomas
by Mr. F. Newton, who sent several specimens of it to the
Museum of Lisbon; they have been mentioned by Prof.
Barboza du Bocage [Jorn. Sec. Lisb. no. xlvii. (1888)
pp- 233, 234; (2) no. 1. (1889) p. 144 (S. Miguel); no. i.
(1889) p. 210 (S. Miguel) ; no. vi. (1891) p. 84 (Angolares) ].
Dr. Sharpe (Cat. B. xxvi. p. 38), like Mr. Elhot, attributed
to Lampribis olivacea some specimens from Denkera (Ash-
antee), and in his key to the genera the genus Lampribis was
included in the section having the “ anterior aspect of the
Ibis olivacea of Dubus. 181
tarsus plated with distinct transverse scales.” As the speci-
men of /dbis olivacea which I had from Prince’s Island had
the ‘‘ anterior aspect of the tarsus reticulated with numerous
hexagonal scales,” I could not believe otherwise than that
my bird was absolutely different from those from Denkera.
Strange to say, Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, having, at my request,
examined the specimens from Denkera in the British
Museum attributed to Lampribis olivacea, has found that °
they have the anterior aspect of the tarsus reticulated with
hexagonal scales, shewing that Sharpe’s Key to the genera of
the Ibises is quite wrong and misleading, so that in respect
of the tarsi my bird does not differ from those from Denkera.
Rothschild, Hartert, and Kleinschmidt (Nov. Zool. iv.
(1897) p. 377) thought that the bird found by Ussher in
Denkera, and figured by Elliot, P. Z. 8. 1877, pl. li., was
different from Jéts olivacea Dubus, and they proposed for
the former the name of Lampribis rara, saying that “ it is
probable that Dubus’s bird is nothing more than an old
Hagedashia hagedash, or a closely allied species not yet
known to us except by the type.” This opimion has been
shared both by Dr. Sharpe (Cat. B. xxvi. p. 266; Hand-list,
i. p. 187) and by Dr. Reichenow, who, in his recent work
‘Die Vogel Afrikas’ (i. (2) p. 326), has utterly ignored
I. oliwacea Dubus, and has included the name among the
synonyms of Hagedashia hagedash.
I think that I am not mistaken in stating, first, that Ibis
olivacea Dubus is a perfectly distinct species from H. hage-
dash, to which it is very distantly allied * ; secondly, that
Ibis olivacea is known not only from the type in the Museum
of Brussels, but also from specimens in the Museums of
Philadelphia, Leyden, and Lisbon, and probably others in
the Museums of Paris and Stettin.
The bird which I possess—obtained by Signor Leonardo
Fea in Prince’s Island—is labelled “ ¢, 26 January, 1901.”
It appears to be an adult having a very long and full crest ;
* In this opinion I am supported by Dr. Dubois, who has, in the
Museum of Brussels, the type of J. olivacea, and by Dr. Finsch, who has
at least one specimen in the Leyden Museum.
182 Count T. Salvadori on the
its beak is very much like that of Bostrychia carunculata
both in size and shape, and is much shorter and weaker than
that of Hagedashia hagedash, the colouring also bemg very
different ; there is no white line under the auricular region,
which is slightly paler than the rest of the head and neck, and
the greater coverts of the secondaries, instead of being golden
bronze, are steel-blue; the general coloration above and
below is much browner than in H. hagedash, and the upper
wing-coverts less bronze and more green. Altogether, [bis
olivacea is a very different bird from H. hagedash.
As tothe generic position of Jbzs olivacea Dubus, it cannot
be settled until we first identify Lampribis olivacea Elliot
(=L.rara R., H. et K.), the type of the genus Lampribis. For
this purpose I must notice that Rothschild and Hartert’s
supposition of Lampribis olivacea Elhot being different from
Ibis olivacea Dubus, was evidently made without knowing
what Dubus’s species was, and under the impression that
“probably it was nothing more than an old Hagedashia
hagedash” ; but I have shown already that it is a totally
different bird. This point being established, we must try to
identify the Denkera bird, which Elhot attributed to Lampri-
bis olivacea (Dubus), and which Rothschild and Hartert
have named L. rara. Not having access to the Denkera
bird myself, I asked my friend Mr. Ogilvie-Grant to
examine the Denkera specimens in the British Museum,
especially as regards the shape of the bill, and he answers
that in size and shape the bill is exactly like that of
-Bostrychia carunculata, which is the case also with the bill
of my specimen of Jbis olivacea from Prince’s Island, so that
in that respect Lampribis olivacea Elliot (=rara R., H. et K.)
and Jbis olivacea Dubus perfectly agree. As to the tarsi the
two birds also agree, both having them reticulated with
hexagonal scales. I have already mentioned the mistake
made by Dr. Sharpe in attributing the genus Lampribis to
the section with transverse scales on the anterior aspect
of the tarsi.
A point which has puzzled me much in the identification
of L. olivacea Elliot is the coppery-red colour of the smaller
Ibis olivacea of Dudus. 183
upper wing-coverts, forming a distinct patch on the wing, as
represented in Elliot’s plate (P. Z. 8. 1877, pl. li.). This
feature is not mentioned in Elliot’s description, and from
Mr. Ogilvie-Grant’s statements (in litt.) it appears that no
such character exists in the specimens from Denkera, so that
probably the coppery patch on the plate is owing to the fact
that the artist tried to shew the coppery reflexions which
in some lights are shown by the smaller upper wing-coverts
on the curve of the shoulders.
Another point remains to be discussed as regards the
colouring of the neck and breast of L. olivacea Elliot, those
parts being of a “rich dark buff, every feather edged with
dark olive-brown.” But a similar coloration had been
already described by Cassin as distinguishing the young
birds of [bts olivacea which he had received from Muni,
Moonda, and Camma, together with fully adult birds, the
latter perfectly agreeing with Dubus’s plate.
I think, after all that I have said, that Lampribis olivacea
Elliot is an immature bird of Dubus’s species, and Lampribis
rara a synonym of it. I may say that Dr. Finsch * is also
inclined to believe that such is the case, and for myself I
take it to be certain. It follows that Jbis olivacea Dubus is
the real type of the genus Lampribis.
As to the affinities of the genus Lampribis, | should say
that they are mainly with the genus Bostrychia, both of them
having a bill of exactly the same shape and even size, a
full crest on the nape, and reticulated tarsi, but differing
much as regards the lores and sides of the head, which are
naked in Lampribis, but feathered in Bostrychia, the latter
having the additional character of a fleshy wattle on the
throat,
Possibly Lampribis is allied to Lophotibis, but I have no
means of ascertaining this point, as I do not possess a speci-
men of L. cristata. According to Sharpe’s Key to the
Genera, Lophotibis has the anterior aspect of the tarsi plated
* The Leyden Museum possesses one specimen of J. olivacea from
Prince’s Island (Keuwlemans), besides another ZLampribis from Liberia
(Biittikofer), probably belonging to a distinct species.
184 Count T. Salvadori on the
with transverse scales ; and if such is the case, the two genera
belong to two different sections *.
The geographical distribution of LZ. olivacea would be as
follows :—The type specimen is said to have been from Guinea,
which is very probable, but we have no sure proof of this, as
I do not think that the name of the collector is known.
Besides, the bird is found in Prince’s aad 8S. Thomas’s
Islands. It appears from Cassin’s statements that Du-
chaillu’s specimens collected on the Camma, Muni, and
Moonda Rivers belong to the same species, as well as the speci-
mens from Kameroon collected by Reichenow and Zenkex ;
Dr. Reichenow also includes Angola in the range inhabited
by L. olivacea, and mentions Schiitt as the name of the
collector. From what I have said, Ashantee is inhabited by
the same species, which therefore appears to be distributed
over the western coast of Africa from. Angola to Ashantee,
and to be also found in the islands of the Bight of Guinea
(Prince’s Island and 8. Thomas Island).
As regards the Liberian birds mentioned by Bittikofer, I
have some doubt as to whether they may not belong to a
distinct species. 1 have seen one of the specimens (a male),
collected by Buttikofer at Soforé Place, June 11, 1880, which
differs strikingly from that which | have from Prince’s Island,
and from the description of JL. olivacea given by several
authors, in having the greater wing-coverts of the secondaries
not dark purple or steel-blue, but golden coppery on the outer
web, slightly edged with purple, resembling in that respect
Hagedashia hagedash. Should this character be constant in
adult specimens from Liberia, the form residing there would be
specifically different, and I propose for it the name Lampribis
* Quite recently, while this paper was passing through the press,
Dr. Dubois has published the twelfth fascicule of the ‘Synopsis Avium’
containing the Family Ibididee. Thereis a note concerning Lbzs olivacea,
which he rightly declares totally different from Hagedashia hagedash,
but he has failed to recognise that Zb¢s olivacea and Lampribis rara are
one and the same species. Besides, he has attributed Dubus’s species to
the genus Lophotibis, a point whichd am not able to discuss; but should
he be right, then Lampribis would not be different from Lophotibis. For
the present I am inclined to consider the two genera distinct.
Ibis olivacea of Dudus. 185
splendida*.. The specimen which I have examined is fully
adult. It has a naked frontal shield at the base of the culmea,
broad and rounded posteriorly, while this shield is narrow and
almost acute posteriorly in the specimen that I have of L. oli-
vacea from Prince’s Island. The colours are as follows :—
Head, neck, and lower parts brown with a slight bronze lustre,
more evident on the sides and under tail-coverts; the
ear-coverts are paler brown; the long feathers of the nuchal
crest have a purple lustre, in some lights bluish or greenish ;
the back, scapularies, and inner remiges are bronze; the
lower back and upper tail-coverts darker and more green ;
the smaller and median wing-coverts metallic bronze-green
with coppery reflexions ; the greater coverts of the second-
aries golden coppery, narrowly edged with purple on the
outer web, deep blue, nearly black, on the inner web; the
primary-coverts, like the quills, black, with steel-blue gloss ;
the under wing-coverts black, glossed with dark green or
blue; the tail dark bluish green: “bill red; feet greenish
flesh-coloured ; iris grey-brown” (Biittikofer). Wing
330 mm.; tail 150; culmen (without the frontal shield) 111;
tarsus 72.
I add the full synonymy of Jbis olivacea Dubus, and a
complete description of the bird from Prince’s Island.
Lamprisis ottvacea (Dubus).
Ibis olivacea Dubus, Bull. Acad. Bruxelles, 1837, p. 105,
pl. — (fig. optima) (Guinée) +; id., Esquiss. Orn. i. tab. 3
(1845) ; Rcehnb., Grallat. t. 183. f. 2384 (1851) (ex Dubus,
sed fig. minus exacta) ; Hartl., Abh. naturw. Verh. Hamb. 11.
* The synonymy of this form would be as follows :—
Ibis olivacea Biittik. (nec Dubus), Not. Leyd. Mus. vii. p. 243 (Baria
and Soforé Place) (1885); x. p. 101 (Du Queah, Liberia) (1888 ; xi.
p. 127 (¢ ad., Farmington River, Liberia), p. 136 (Liberia) (1889); id.
Reisebild. aus Liber. ii. p. 476 (1890).
Lampribis rara part., Sharpe, Hand-list, i. p. 187 (Liberia) (1899).
Theristicus rarus, part.. Rchnw. Voég. Afr. i, 2, p. 828 (Liberia)
(1901).
+ “Note sur l’Jbis olivacea, Ibis olivdtre” (l. c. pp. 105-106 avec
planche).
186 Count T. Salvadori on the
2, p. 41. n. 448 (1852); id., J. f. O. 1854, p. 256 (Mus.
Brux.) ; Heugl., Orn. N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 1145 (erit.) (1873) ;
Rehnw., J. f. O. 1874, p. 378 (juv., Kamerun), 1875, p. 48
(Kamerun), 1877, pp. 144, 145, 156, 274 (West Afr.) ;
Rothsch. et Hart., Nov. Zool. iv. p. 376 (=Hagedashia
hagedash, ad.?) (1897); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvi.
p. 266 (=H. hagedash) (1898); Rchnw., J. f. O. 1900,
p. 3870 (Kamerun: Zenker).
Geronticus olivaceus G. R. Gr., Gen. B., App. p. 26 (1849) ;
Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 275 (Munifluss: Duchaillu) (1857) ;
Cass., Pr. Ac. Philad. 1859, p. 174. n. 217 (ad. and young)
(Camma and Moonda: Duchaillu) ; Hartl., J. f. O. 1861,
p- 271 (Camma); Dohrn, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 330 (Prince’s
Isl.) ; Sousa, Jorn. Sc. Lisb. no. xlv. p. 44 (1887).
Comatibis olivacea Rchnb., Av. Syst. Nat. P. SAV tatoos
f. 2384 (1852); Heine, J. f. O. 1860, p. 201 (Camma and
Moonda: Duchaillu) ; Oust., N. Arch. Mus. (2) ii. p. 145
(1879) (ex Cassin) ; Boc., Jorn. Se. Lisb. no. xlviii. pp. 238,
234 (S. Thomé: F. Newton) (1888); (2) no. i. pp. 35,, 36
(1889); no. i. p. 144 (S. Miguel: 2. Newton) (1889) ;
no. 11. p. 210 (S. Miguel, costa occidental) (1889) ; no. vi.
p. 84 (Angolares: /. Newton) (1891).
Harpiprion olivaceus Hartl., J. f. O. 1854, p. 295 (Guinea,
Mus. Brux.); Cass., Pr. Ac. Philad. 1857, p. 39 (juv., River
Muni: Duchaillu).
Bostrichia olivacea * Bp., Compt. Rend. xl. p. 725. n. 166
(1855).
Hagedashia olivacea Bp., Consp. ii. p. 153 (1855) (Mus.
-Brux. et Paris).
Geronticus (Comatibis) olivaceus Hartl., Orn. Westafr.
p. 231. n. 657 (Guinea, Mus. Brux., Paris) (1857).
Ibis comata part., Schleg., Mus. P.-B., Ibis, p. 9 (1863) ;
Gieb., Thes. Orn. 11. p. 384 (part.) (1875).
Ibis (Geronticus) olivaceus Keulem., N.'T. D. ii. p. 897
(Prince’s Isl.) (1866).
* I suppose that it is by a misprint that Dr. Sharpe in the synonymy
of this species (Cat. B. Brit. Mus, xxvi. p. 38) writes B. ochracea
instead of B. olivacea.
Ibis olivacea of Dubus. 187
Geronticus (Hagedashia) olivaceus G. R. Gr., Hand-list,
il. p. 40. n. 10229 (1871).
Ibis (Hagedashia) olivacea Heug)., Orn. N.O.-Afr. i.
p- 1145 (Anmerk.) (1873).
Lampribis olivacea Elliot, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 507 (Guinea,
Prince’s Isl., Denkera) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvi.
p. 38 (part.) (1898) ; Salvad., Mem. R. Ac. Tor. (2) lui. p. 13
(1903) (Is. del Principe).
Theristicus olivaceus Rehnw., J. f.O. 1890, p. 108 (Oberen
Kamerun).
Plegadis olivaceus part., Shelley, B. Afr. 1. p. 156. n. 2107
(1896).
Lampribis rara Rothsch., Hart., & Kleimschm., Nov.
Zool. iv. p. 377 (Denkera) (1897) (immat.) ; Sharpe, Hand-
list;) 1p: 187 (part.) (1899); “Dubois, ‘Syn2 Av. p. 90s:
n. 10928 (fase. xii. 1902).
Theristicus hagedash part., Rchnw., Vog. Afr. 1. 2, p. 325
(1901).
Theristicus rarus part., Rehnw., op. cit. p. 328 (Kamerun,
Camma, Munda, Muni, ? Angola, 8S. Thomas, Prinzeninsel)
(1901).
Lophotibis olivacea, Dubois, Syn. Av. p. 903. n. 10927
(fasc. x11. 1902).
(Mas ex Ins. Principis.) Capite et collo fusco-brunneis,
plumis in medio pallidioribus ; regione parotica pallide
brunnea; plumis occipitalibus latiusculis, valde elongatis,
fuscis, ad marginem viridi, vel cyaneo nitentibus ; pectore
et abdomine saturate fuscis paullum viridi nitentibus,
secapis pallidioribus ; subcaudalibus saturate viridi-
nitentibus ; dorso scapularibusque nitide olivaceo-
weneis; uropygio et supracaudalibus cyanescentibus ;
tectricibus alarum nitidissime viridibus, majoribus cum
tectricibus remigum primariorum remigibusque secun-
dariis cyaneo-chalybeis; remigibus primariis nigris,
exterius cyanescentibus; cauda nigra, cyanescente :
“cute nuda capitis nigra; pedibus sordide flavidis ;
iride brunnea” (Dohrn). Long. tot. circa 600 mm. ;
al. 340; caud. 140; rostri culm. 110; tarsi 65.
A female mentioned by Dohrn had the long feathers
of the head non-metallic; another female from Prince’s
188 Dr. A. B. Meyer on
Island, in the Leyden Museum, obtained by Mr. Keulemans,
according to Dr. Finsch (in litt.), agrees in nearly every
respect with the male, except in the following poimts :—The
feathers of the crest, which are as long, if not longer, than
those in the male, are uniform brown, without the metallic
lustre; the coloration of the back is a little darker, the
upper wing-coverts shew less of the bronze lustre, and the
feathers of the neck, sides of the head, and the lower part of
the crest have lighter shafts ; the dimensions also are some-
what smaller—wing 313 mm.; tail 110; tarsi67. According
to Keulemans, ‘the bill is brick-red ; the iris brown; the
feet reddish yellow; the naked skin of the head black.”
It would appear from Cassin’s statements that the “ young
bird has the under parts with oval spots of dull yellowish.”
Mr. Keulemans gives a good account of the habits of this
bird in Prince’s Island, where it is known under the name
of “ Corvao.”
In the preparation of this paper I have had to resort to
Dr. Dubois, Dr. Fisch, and Mr. Ogilvie-Grant for in-
formation, which has been freely and kindly given, and to
them I owe my best thanks.
XVI1.—On the Eggs of the Moa. By Dr. A. B. Meyer.
WHEN visiting the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons
_ of England in the autumn of 1901, I saw an egg of the Moa,
and not having been previously aware of its existence | tried
to hunt it up in the literature of the subjeet. On this
occasion, as well as formerly, when studying the literature of
the eggs of A’pyornis (see Abh. Ber. k. Zool. Mus. Dresden,
vol. ix. no. 7, 1901), I collected certain facts concerning the
known eggs of the Moa—reproduced here in an abbreviated
form.
Moa’s eggs are very much rarer than those of Aipyornis,
thirty-six of the latter being known, whereas only three or four
perfect Moa’s eggs are as yet recorded, besides a dozen or
the Eggs of the Moa. 189
more imperfect or reconstructed specimens. In the published
list of eggs of dtpyornis (1. c. p. 4) only thirty-three
specimens were enumerated, but I have since heard of three
more, which may be mentioned here incidentally :—
One in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of
England, where I saw it in the year 1901. 295 by
190 mm.
One in the Bristol Museum, formerly in Sir Greville
Smith’s collection (see ‘ Nature,’ vol. lxv. p. 324,
1902) .
One sold by auction at Stevens’s Rooms, London, in June
1902, for £40—and brought by Mr. Edw. Gerrard of
London. 314 by 216 mm., circumference 862 by
707 mm. (See also ‘ Nature,’ Ixvi. p. 160, 1902.)
I am indebted to Sir Walter Buller for several notes, of
which use has been made in the following paragraphs; and
I shall feel quite satisfied if my unpretentious communication
rescues from oblivion some further specimens of Moa’s eggs,
if they by chance have escaped my notice.
1. George Dawson Rowley (Brighton) figured in the year
1878 the fine Moa’s egg in his possession (Orn. Mise. iii.
p. 244, pl. ecxiv.). It is, according to the drawing, 252 by
178 mm., and has also been figured by Sir Richard Owen in
his Memoirs on the Extinct Wingless Birds of New Zealand,
1879, pl. cxvi. p. 318. It is referred to Dinornis ingens
Owen (Dinornis nove-zealandie Owen) and was found in
1859 or previously in the South Island. Mr. Rowley about
six years later paid £100 for it (not £200 as erroneously
stated, Abh. Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, vol. ix. no. 7, 1901,
p- 1, note 1). The egg is nearly perfect except for “a hole
on the underside” (Rowley, /. c. p. 244). The present
owner is, | am told, Mr. G. F. Rowley, St. Neots, Hunting-
donshire. It has been mentioned by A. R. Thomson, ‘ The
Story of New Zealand,’ i. p. 33, 1859; compare also J. D.
Enys, Tr. Pr. N.Z. Inst. iv. pp. 363 & 4038, 1871.
2. The Otago Museum in Dunedin, New Zealand, received
in July 1899 “‘a complete Moa’s egg” (Tr. Pr. N.Z. Inst. xxxii.
190 Dr. A. B. Meyer on
p. 438, 1900), concerning which Sir Walter Buller has given
me the following particulars :—
«About the year 1898 an almost perfect specimen was
found by a gold-dredging party m one of the Otago rivers,
the Clutha or Molyneux [in the south of the South Island].
It was brought up by the dredger and, being hollow, floated
on the surface of the water. The Government claimed it,
and threatened litigation for its recovery ; but, in the end,
the miner was allowed to sell it for £50, for presentation to the
Otago Museum.” Subsequently Dr. W. B, Benham, Curator
of this Museum, published similar items of information
(Tr. Pr. N.Z. Inst. xxxiv. p. 149, July 1902; read before the
Otago Institute, June 11th, 1901) with some description and
a rather insufficient reduced illustration (/. c. pl. vii.). Size
195 by 1385 mm., circumference 522 by 428 mm.; weight
986:°5 gr. Dr. Benham (/.c. p. 150) refers the egg to
Euryapteryx ponderodus {?| or [Pachyornis| elephantopus
(Owen) *.
G. Krause (Illustrirte Zeitung, Leipzig, Nov. 21, 1901,
pp- 780, 781) had some time before figured a cast of this
egg of the natural size and given some details, furnished by
Dr. Benham. The Dresden Museum possesses such a cast.
3. In July 1901 Mr. R. Barnekow, of Awahuri, North
Island, New Zealand, informed me that “some hundred
miles ” from his place a Moa’s egg had been recently found,
and that it was in the possession of “The Dredging Co.,”
which demanded no less than £500 for it—a price, moreover,
_ stated to be only a ‘“ reserve-price in the case of sale by
auction.’ The owner described it as ‘in perfect condition
save for an almost imperceptible crack of about two inches ;
dimensions 9 by 5 inches” (229 by 127 mm.). I surmise
that this is the egg which was on sale by auction at Stevens’s
Rooms, in June of this year, described as “ rather weather-
worn at one part and has been cracked and mended at the
* Owen (Mem. Extinct Wingless Birds N.Z. 1879, pl. xe. p. 518)
reconstructed an egg of Pachyornis elephantopus (Owen) to 233 by 183 mm.,
but in our present (and still very imperfect) state of knowledge of Moas’
eggs this is rather doubtful.
the Eqys of the Moa. 191
apex ” (compare also ‘ Nature,’ Ixvi. p. 160, 1900). I heard
that the reserve-price at this auction was £350 (according
to ‘Nature’? £200), and that there was no bidder above
£150, while the egg is reported to have gone back to New
Zealand. My informant called the size “ that of a medium
Ostrich egg”; but this may have been an illusion, the more
rounded eggs of the Ostrich looking larger than they really
are, according to G. Krause (see above, sub No. 2), and
measuring only about 150 by 120 mm. (Some years ago,
‘Nature’ reported (/. c.) that a Moa’s egg had been sold by
auction for £250. I have not been able to trace this egg,
aud do not know where it is now. Perhaps it refers to
No. 4.) The egg of the London auction in 1902 appears to
be the same of which Dr. Benham (Tr. Pr. N.Z. Inst. xxxiv.
p- 150, 1902 ; read before the Otago Inst., June 11th, 1901)
recently wrote :—“I had an opportunity of examining a
second entire egg, which was obtained some months later by
the same man [viz., ‘a dredge-hand on the Harnscleugh
gold-dredge, working on the River Molyneux, Otago,’
see No. 2 and /. c. p. 149] about a hundred yards below the
spot at which our specimen [see No. 2] was taken. The
egg had been dipped in shellac (7), and was in a very dirty
condition when it was brought to the Museum in order that
the taxidermist might clean it before its transmission to
London for sale. He refused, however, to undertake the
responsibility . . . the two ends were similar, so that the egg
was a perfect ovoid.” Dr. Benham gives the following
measurements: 201 by 138 mm., circumference 540 by 440
mm. These measurements, it is true, do not agree with
those given to me by Mr. Barnekow (229 by 127 mm.);
nevertheless I take it for granted that they refer to the
same egg, my correspondent not having taken the measure-
ments himself, and the owners probably not having been
well versed in measuring birds’ eggs.
4. Sir Walter Buller has furnished me with the following
notes :—‘‘ About the year i892 Sir George Grey (the
former Governor) wrote informing me of the discovery of a
‘nearly perfect egg’ (supposed to be that of D. robustus) in
192 Dr. A. B. Meyer on
the South Island. It had been offered to him for £50, and
he sent the letter on to me. I obtained further particulars
from the owner and found that the egg was too much broken
to be worth buying.” Ido not know the present owner of
this specimen ; it may be that mentioned in ‘ Nature,’ ]xvi.
p. 160, 1902; compare sub No. 3.
5. According to Tr. Pr. N.Z. Inst. xxxi. p. 738, 1899, “ the
greater part of the egg-shell of a Moa” was found in sandy
soil near Clyde, Central Otago, South Island, and received
by the Otago Museum in August 1898. “ Another specimen
was found with it, but was accidentally destroyed.” ‘To this
fragment we may perhaps also refer Dr. Benham’s (Tr.
Pr. N.Z. Inst. xxxiv. p. 150, 1902) remark as to two or
three more or less damaged specimens ‘‘ that have been
through his hands,” viz., that they all belong to the genus
Euryaptery2.
6. Sir Walter Buller knows of an imperfect specimen in
the collection of Mr. Augustus Hamilton, Registrar of the
Otago University in Dunedin.
7. The same authority informs me that Mr. Turton, of
Dunedin, possesses a much broken egg, which was obtained,
as he believes, in the Queenstown district, Otago.
8. There is one half of an egg in the Colonial Museum at
Wellington. According to Sir James Hector (P. Z. 8. 1867,
p- 991), two were discovered in the alluvium of the Upper
Clitha Plains, Otago, South Island, but only one nearly
complete side could be put together, consisting of about
_ twenty fragments; this egg measured 242 by 153 mm.
One had contained “‘ bones of an embryo chick” (comp.
PZ. S. 1867, p. 991; ‘Tr. Pr. N.Z. Inst. iv pp: 110 & 363;
pl. vi. p. 187; and Owen, Extinct Birds N.Z. 1879, p. 319).
9. The egg in the Museum of the Royal College of
Surgeons of England, mentioned in the beginning of my
communication, was “cracked and pieced together,” and
measures “216 by 142 mm.,” for which particulars I am
indebted to Prof. C. Stewart. I could not inspect it
closely, as the opening of the case was beset with some
difficulties. Judging from outside, the egg did not give the
the Eggs of the Moa. 193
impression of having been mended. In shape it is a long
oval, not pointed. It is not mentioned in the printed
Catalogues of the College. This egg belongs to the so-called
Mantell’s ‘‘ models” (see below), about which Sir Walter
Buller says :—‘ Mautell’s so-called ‘ models’ were ingenious
reconstructions from fragments of shell, sorted out and put
together with infimte labour. The late Mr. Walter Mantell
informed me that the best and most perfect of these—one of
an ivory-white appearance—was given away by him, many
years ago, to some friend in England, and in recent years he
had been unable to trace it. There are several of these
‘models’ (all more or less imperfect) in the possession of
Mr. Mantell’s son in Wellington. Mr. Walter Mantell
made large collections of Moa bones and fragments of egg-
shells at Waingongoro in the North Island and at Wai-
kouaiti in the South Island, between the years 1848 and
1856.” This agrees well with W. B. D. Mantell’s own
description (Tr. Pr. N.Z. Inst: v. p. 96, 1872) :—“<The
fragments of egg-shells from these wmus * varied in size
from less than a quarter of an inch of greatest diameter to
three or four inches. These, after careful washing, I had
sorted, and having, with some patience, found the fragments
which had been originaily broken from each other and fitted
together, I succeeded in restoring at least a dozen eges to an
extent sufficient to shew their size and outline. Six or
seven of the best of these I gave to the British Museum +
after their purchase of the collection ; one is in the Museum
of the College ot Surgeons; the rest, including one very
beautiful egg with a polished ivory-like surface, are still in my
ownership somewhere in England. Some idea of the labour
entailed by this attempt to rehabilitate eggs may be gathered
from the tact that several of those restored consisted of
* “'The bones and egg-shells of Dinornis and its kindred, mixed with
remains of every available variety of bird, beast, and fish used as food by
the aborigines, being all in and around the wmus (or native ovens) in
which they had been cooked.”
+ As we shall presently see, sub No. 10, the British Museum now
contains only three.
SER. VIII.— VOL. III. oO
194. Dra. Be Meyerson
between 200 and 300 fragments. I may add that in the
markings, size, and so forth, of the eggs (making allowance
for the alteration of the former toward the ends of the eggs)
I made out about twenty-four varieties, of which I have
specimens.’ In the Proc. Wellington Philos. Soc. (Tr. Pr.
N.Z. Inst. iv. p. 864, 1872) occurs the following paragraph
as to these ‘‘ models” :—‘ Mr. Mantell explained that he
had restored, more or less perfectly, about twenty eggs, and
that he had, as arule, found them imperfect at one end, as 1f a
hole had been artificially formed for the purpose of extracting
the contents, and perhaps to allow of the shell being used
as a water vessel...” From part of these fragments Owen
restored the egg referred to Hmeus crassus (Owen) from the
South Island and figured by him, which is now in the
British Museum (see sub No. 10).
10-12. There are three specimens restored in plaster in
the British Museum and several fragments (sce Oates, Cat.
Eggs, i. p. 8, 1901) ; according to the Catalogue the frag-
ments were collected by Mr. Mantell, the three restored eggs
only doubtfully so. Owen had already figured one of these
(not two as Mr. Oates says), supposed to be that of Dinornis
[Emeus] crassus Owen: the other egg figured by Owen, and
supposed to belong to D. ingens Owen, is not in the British
Museum, but in the Rowley Collection, as mentioned above,
sub No.1. The last-named is the original of Owen’s pl. exvil.
in ‘Mem. Extinct Wingless Birds New Zealand,’ p. 318 (1879),
whereas the British-Museum egg is figured pl. exv. (p. 317),
as well as in Rowley’s ‘Orn. Mise.’ iu. p. 244, pl. exv.
(1878). Itis imcomplete and put together from small pieces,
measuring, according to the drawing, 190 by 151 mm.,
according to Oates (/. c. p. 7) 7:25 by 6 in. [184 by
152 mm.]. The other two restored specimens in the
British Museum measure, according to Oates, 7°75 by 5:25
and 8°1 by 5°9 in. [197 by 133 and 206 by 150 mm.]. I do
not understand why the Catalogue questions the fact that
these were from the Mantellian Collection, Owen stating
this, so far as I can see (J. ¢. p. 317), and Mr. Mantell him-
self saying so (see above under No. 9). I may mention
195
the Eggs of the Moa.
List of known Moa’s Eggs or Fragments thereof.
No. | When found. |
1.| 1859
2. 1898
3, 1899
4. 1802
5. 1898
6| 2
7.| 2
8, :
9, | About 1850
10. *5
11.| Ps
i)
13. :
Condition. Locality.
ee
Species.
South Island.
|
Molyneux River, 8. I.
Nearly perfect.
Perfect.
Perfect. | 7
Nearly perfect. ‘South Island.
Greater part. | Clyde, S. I.
Imperfect. | p
‘Queenstown district,
| Otago, 8. I.
Upper Clitha plains,
Otago, 8. I.
5)
Much broken.
Half.
“ Model.” |
» incomplete. South Island.
2
”
”
“ Models.”
a)
Cab}
D. nove-zealandia,
Owen.
Pachyornis elephan-
topus (Owen) ?
?
D. vobustus Owen.
Euryapteryx sp.
ba ©)
Emeus crassus (Owen),
2 |
ne)
P)
|
:
| Size. Owner.
|
is aes ~
252 by 178 | Rowley Collection, St. Neots. =
195 ,, 185) Otago Museum, Dunedin,
; NeZ.noe
201 ,, 188] Dredging Co., N.Z. ?
P P
> Otago Museum, Dunedin, |
NZ. 1
p A. Hamilton, Otago, N.Z.,
eh dle
P Mr. Turton, Dunedin, N.Z.,
a
242 by 153|Colonial Museum, Wel-
lington, N.Z., N. I.
216 ,, 142)R. College of Surgeons of)
England, London.
184 ,, 152) British Museum, London. |
| 197 ,, 138 rr
(206 ,, 150 *,
p Mr. Mantell, jr., Wellington,
N.Z., N. 1. |
|
196 Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo— Bird- Notes
here, incidentally, that Owen constructed the egg of Dinornis
maximus to 412 by 326 mm., according to pl. exix. p. 320
(op. cit.).
13. Several “ models,” according to Sir Walter Buller, in
the possession of Mr. Mantell, jr., in Wellington (see No. 9).
Fragments of egg-shells are to be found in several Museums,
as at Tring, Vienna, &c.
A very useful Bibhography, which we owe to Mr. A.
Hamilton (Tr. Pr. N.Z. Inst. xxvi. pp. 229-257, 1893),
entitled ‘ Materials for a Bibliography of the Dinorni-
thide, the Great Extinct Birds of New Zealand, usually
called Moas,’ contains also a great deal about the eggs, and
recently Dr. Benham has given us a small and rather incom-
plete bibliography (/. c. xxxiv. p. 151, 1902).
Royal Zoological Museum, Dresden,
December 4th, 1902.
X VIII.—Bird-Notes from Morocco and the Great Atlas.
By E. G. B. MreapE-Wa tpo.
(Plate VI.)
Durine the summer of 1901 I took a journey through the
Central Provinces of Morocco and part of the Great Atlas
range. The chief object of my trip was to observe the birds,
and to collect such as appeared to be worth collecting. I also,
however, devoted a considerable portion of my time to
-entomology. M. Henri Vaucher, a Swiss gentleman and
naturalist for many years resident in Tangier, accompanied
me as taxidermist and interpreter, and I found his knowledge
of the country and his tact in dealing with the by no means
easily-managed inhabitants to be simply invaluable; so that
I consider that to him such success as attended our expedi-
tion is largely due. We started with the usual caravan of
horses and mules, ten animals in all, and with seven Moorish
servants, the whole of whom behaved well during our long
journey, which commenced on May 8th and did not finish
until August 21st.
from Morocco and the Great Atlas. 197
We started too late in the year: all through the plains it
was dead summer, everything was absolutely baked up, and
the breeding-season was practically over. The birds were
silent and moulting, and the heat at times was very intense—
facts which applied even to the mountains so far as bird-life
was concerned, though I was in good time for butterflies on
the very high ground.
The country between Tangier and Rabat has been so well
worked, and so much has been written about it, that I do not
propose to treat of it in the following account. The route I
took was inland, and really most interesting; but beyond the
occurrence of the White-shouldered Imperial Eagle in the
great plain-swamps of the Wad-li Koos I do not remember
anything of special interest until we came to the breeding-
grounds of the ‘ Bald Ibis” (Comatibis eremita) in the Sallee
cliffs, just north of Rabat, although we found an ‘ Arabian
Bustard” (Hupodotis arabs) floating, dead, in the Seboo at
Mehedia. The Bald Ibis breeds abundantly iu the cliffs, each
bay being occupied by many pairs, and most available sites
being taken up; the nests were often very close together,
some ledges being quite covered with them, so that they
touched each other. They were rather small and built of
dry weeds, while almost all of them contained nearly full-
grown young, though many birds of the year were on the
wing. I saw a pale green, apparently addled, egg in one
nest, and picked up some pale green egg-shells on the beach
beneath the cliffs. The breeding-season must be very early,
as on May 20th I shot a full-grown young bird on the wing.
The parents were very wild at the nest, and shewed no appa-
rent solicitude for their progeny. The stomachs of those we
examined contained locusts, scorpions, and large centipedes.
The majority of the adults pass over into the Forest of
Marmora to feed. I met with this bird again at intervals
throughout Morocco, and saw a colony breeding in a cliff
over the Wad Moorbey at Oolad Lasara, close upon 200 miles
from the sea.
The whole of the country passed through, and ajmost all
that from Rabat to Morocco city, was cursed by a plague of
198 Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo—Bird- Notes
locusts, which must have had a considerable effect on the
distribution of the birds, whole districts being denuded of
almost ‘every scrap of vegetation and the smaller species
being entirely absent.
On leaving Rabat we came across the Rufous Swallow
(Hirundo rufula) for the first time. Several pairs were
collecting mud from the road at the South Gate of the town.
I did not meet with it again until we reached the villages on
the foot-hills of the Atlas, where it was common enough.
Between Rabat and Fedulla, Pratincoles (Glareola pratincola)
were breeding in all the fields after the manner of our
Peewits at home—not in colonies, but in odd pairs; fallow
fields were most usually chosen. On a low rocky island in
the sea, separated from the mainland by a channel some
200 yards wide, an enormous colony of Buff-backed Herons
(Ardea bubulcus) was breeding. The whole island was abso-
lutely covered with nests ; it is hard to compute the numbers
of birds, but there must have been some thousands. Many
of these were still building their nests on May 28th; and in
the spring of last year (1902), when I passed the breeding-
place on April Ist, it was quite deserted.
After leaving Fedulla we struck inland, and travelled slowly,
by way of Bershid, Estat, Ben daud, Wad Gizar, and several
places the names of which we could not correctly ascertain,
to Beni Meskin. A great part of this country was under corn,
but much of it had been ruined by locusts ; parts were more or
less desert, and on referring to my notes I see that Harriers and
- Ravens had disappeared, as well as Calandra Larks. The last
two days before arriving at Beni Meskin we passed through
scrubby desert, where Lesser Short-toed Larks (Calandrella
minor) were observed ; but these and the ubiquitous Crested
Lark were the only Larks observed on this ground. Both
Black-breasted Sand-Grouse (Pterocles arenarius) and Pin-
tailed Sand-Grouse (P. alchata) were common and very tame ;
and the Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius gallicus) was
noticed, singly or in small flocks: it had apparently finished
breeding. We saw no Bustards here; but Lupodotis arabs
was described to us from a thick scrub-tract of Zizyphus
Jrom Morocco and the Great Allas. 199
lotus and acacia a few miles away. Many gazelles (Gazella
cuviert) frequent this country.
In the neighbourhood of Beni Meskin the heat was
intense, ranging from 116° to 95°; and camping on the hot
stones in a gale of hot wind was so unpleasant that we moved
ou towards the river, passing through a very nice valley of
tall zizyphus and acacia, and, for the first time since leaving
Rabat, coming across the Moorish Magpie (Pica mauritanica).
We crossed the river Wad Moorbey: this is Vom-er-rebia
in the maps, but I believe that my spelling is correct, or as
near as can be got to the Arabic sound, for the Sultan himself
assured me that it was so. The river is a very fine rapid
stream, with a great volume of water of a bright brick-red
colour. ‘There was little or no cultivation on its banks,
which were fringed with tamarisk. There were a few very
poor Arab duars on the south side, but the north side
appeared almost depopulated, with nearly all the villages
in rums. We followed the south bank eastward for a
short distance, and camped on a low hill at what would have
been an excellent collecting-ground two months earlier in
the year. A good many birds frequented this part; a low
cliff was full of Bald Ibises, anda pair of Barbary Falcons
had a nest and young. I saw the little light blue Tiercel
with his buff nape stoop at and bind on, to a Neophron
that floated past the cliff, and both he and his mate used
to fly at the Bald Ibises and knock them about shamefully.
Little Ringed Plovers (dgialitis curonica) were breeding
commonly along the banks, and I have described as new *
a small Sand-Martin (Cottle mauritanica) which was very
common. ‘These birds were in full moult, and I saw no
young in the first half of June, so they must have bred
very early. A Pied Wagtail from this locality (Motacilla
subpersonata) has also been described as new; it was in
pars with nearly full-grown young, evidently bred on the
banks of the river.
The most abundant bird was undoubtedly the Rufous
Warbler (dédon galactodes)—that is, with the exception of
* Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 27%
200 Mr. E. G. B. Meade-W aldo— Bird- Notes
Sand-Grouse, which trooped in to drink in great numbers,
morning and evening; but singie birds used to come in
in the middle of the day, and these were almost imvariably
old cocks coming to saturate their breasts, so as to convey
water to their young. Wherever there was sufficient bush
a pair of Shrikes (Lanius dodsoni) was sure to occur, and
also the Eared Chat (Sawxicola catarina), which, with the
exception of one male of S. stapazina, was the only Chat I
came across until I reached the Atlas. Both the Great Tit
(Parus major) aud the Ultramarine Tit (P. wltramarinus)
occurred in the tamarisks by the side of the water.
After spending some ten days up the river we struck off
for Marrakesh. As food for our animals had become very
scarce, we travelled slowly; the desert plains were very
desolate, the only birds observed being the two kinds of
Sand-Grouse (Pterocles arenarius and P. alchata), Calandrella
mimor, a few individuals of Galerida thecle, Cursorius galli-
cus, and the Lanner (Falco feldeggi).
On arriving at the mountains to the east of Rehamna we
passed through a tract of high zizyphus which was full of
old nests that appeared to have belonged to the common
House-Sparrow (Passer domesticus) ; these nests were built of
dry grass, and the young had flown some weeks previously.
I found some eggs in one or two which precisely resembled
Sparrow’s eggs, but the nests were not lined with feathers,
aud there was no town or village within many miles. There
had been some Arab tent-villages and some poor crops of
barley in the winter within perhaps a mile. I have observed
the Sparrow to be very independent of kuman dwellings in
many parts of Morocco, but nowhere so much as in this
out-of-the-way place.
Of the city of Morocco itself not much that is new can be
written; but no one can visit it without being delighted with
the wealth of bird-life in its streets and gardens. Here, as
elsewhere throughout the country, the Stork abounds—Little
Kestrels, Rollers, Purple Starlings, Rock-Doves, Little Owls,
Scops Owls, Barn-Owls, Black Kites, Dusky Bulbuls, Mouse-
coloured Swifts, White-rumped Swifts (Cypselus koeniyi °),
from Morocco and the Great Atlas. 201
Sahara Buntings, Buff-backed Herons, and hosts of other
birds all being common within the city walls. The numbers
of the Little Kestrel must be seen to be believed, as many
thousands may be observed on the wing at one time about
dusk. <A pair of Falcons frequented the Kutubia, but at
their great height it was impossible to identify them with
certainty: I believe that they were Falco peregrinus, certainly
they were not /. barbarus.
After leaving Morocco city we made for Agurgur—a
kasbah most beautifully situated on the edge of a precipice—
which we reached in three days. On the road I saw a family-
party of Bush-Babblers (Argya fulva), the only examples
observed—though doubtless they were common enough,—
and Spectacled Warblers (Sylvia conspicillata) were abundant
for the first time.
At Agurgur we had the luck to find the Kaid away, while
the Khalifa was harvesting in the mountains some miles
off, so we got a capital start. After two days’ rest and some
success with insects, we started eastward over the mountains
and descended into the valley of the Wad Nyfys, which we
followed up to Tsigidir-el-bor, a kasbah almost on the water-
shed, which appears to be very low here. The whole of this
valley was most interesting, and although watered by the
Nyfys I take it to be typical of a dry valley on the north
slopes of the Atlas. All the mountains are covered with a
thin serub of arar (Callitris quadrivalvus), lentiscus, and
juniper; and the river has a hungry look, running mainly
over stones with wide stony tracts on each side; it is full
of fish, two kinds of which proved to have been hitherto
undescribed. There is a certain amount of cultivation and
some very fine plantations of old olive-trees.
Of birds there were many, the most noticeable being the
Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida), Grey Wagtail (Motacilla mela-
nope), Little Ringed Plover (digialitis curonica), Stock-Doves
and Wood-Pigeons (both very common), Cirl Buntings,
Algerian Chaftinches, Great Tits, and Ultramarine Tits. But
I did not see the Atlas Coal-Tit here ; it apparently needs
a damp mountain-forest, at any rate in the summer. ‘The
202 Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo— Bird-Notes
Spotted Flycatcher was common; but the Jay, so pleutiful
elsewhere, was scarce; I saw one family-party only. I heard
the Common Nightjar, and saw some individuals hawking
high up on the mountain-side. Serin Finches were still
breeding, and I found several nests with eggs on June 27th.
There were a few pairs of the Sahara Bunting about the
kasbah, rather a high elevation for them; but I saw them
much higher on Jebel Bourzegan, in M’tuga, where they
were breeding in rocks at over 5000 feet.
Finding that we could not ascend the very steep climb of
over 5000 feet from Gindafy with our heavily-laden pack-
animals, we had to partly retrace our steps down the valley
of the Nyfys, crossing which we passed westward into the
valley of the Wad Amsmiz and camped in a lateral valley
at a place called Sould Jedid—a Berber village with very
pleasant people, and a most delightful place. The mountains
here were covered with damp forest, consisting of a most
luxuriant growth of all the native trees—almost impenetrable,
partly owing to the steepness of the ground. Here grew
what was apparently the common holly and great quantities
of laurustinus. High up, where it was too steep to get them
away, were some fine tracts of primieval arar and prickly
oak; above the forest was a low growth of dwarf cistus and
two kinds of a very prickly plant. The mountains here are
comparatively low, reaching to about 9000 feet. Buird-life
was abundant, but I will only mention what appeared
to me to be the most interesting species. I saw four Haw-
finches on the first day I camped here, but though I was
always on the look-out for the bird I never saw another.
The Golden Oriole was more numerous than I have ever
seen it; it was most abundant and nesting up to 8000 feet.
Moussier’s Redstart occurred everywhere, and occurred as
high as there was any scrub. The Atlas Coal-Tit (Parus atlas) ,
which has been described as new, occurred here for the first
time; it was abundant and much commoner than either the
Great Tit or the Blue Tit. Bonelli’s Wood-Wren (Phyllo-
scopus bonellii) was much the commonest Warbler of the
woods. ‘The Subalpine Warbler was the commonest in the
from Morocco and the Great Allas. 203
lower scrub, and the Desert Warbler (Sylvia deserticola) in
the high cistus-scrub above the forest. Both the Moorish
Woodpeckers, Gecinus vaillanti and Picus mauritanicus‘
abounded, the former even far out on the open mountain-side.
The Jay (Garrulus minor) and the Moorish Magpie were
both very common, especially the former, the Magpie not
appearing to ascend nearly so high in the mountains. ‘The
Wood-Lark (Alauda arborea) was fairly common on the upper
edges of the forest, and this was the only place in the Atlas
where I saw the Alpine Swift. Both the Robin and the
Common Wren (Troglodytes parvulus) were abundant in the
moister valleys, but it was three weeks before I could get a
specimen of the latter, owing to the thickness of the wood
and the impossibility of getting far enough away. The Rock-
Thrush (Monticola saxatilis) occurred on the stony parts
above the forest, and the Blue Rock-Thrush (M. cyanus) in
the rocks below.
Of game-birds I saw only the Barbary Partridge, which
positively swarmed everywhere—females with young of very
different ages, not accompanied by the male as a rule; there
were also many packs of old birds.
Birds of prey did not strike me as particularly numerous.
I saw Hobbies, Sparrow-Hawks, Snake-Eagles (Circaétus
gallicus), and a Golden Eagle being mobbed by two Bonelli’s
Eagles. With the exception of the Neophron, I saw no Vul-
tures; that species, however, was exceedingly common. The
Black Kite was always to be seen, but in no great numbers ;
and the Common Kestrel outnumbered the Little Kestrel
of the plains. Red Kites were rare, much more so than in
the mountainous districts of the north of Morocco.
From Sould Jedid we struck westward into the Imnentalla
valley, and spent some days there, but nothing of special
interest occurred. I worked a very fine patch of forest to
the west, some of it quite primeval, and also saw the only
pine-trees (Pinus halipensis) that I met with; but, with the
exception of the Honey-Buzzard, I found no bird that I had
not seen on T’sauritz Entsagauz. It was too dry for Wrens,
but I saw a few Robins, and found nests of the Serpent-
204: Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo— Bird- Notes
Eagle and Bonelli’s Eagle, and noticed an adult Golden Eagle.
There were a few pairs of Sahara Buntings in the village.
Away from the river, which is here a beautiful clear
stream, everything is very dry, all the mountains being
apparently waterless. Finding nothing fresh, we struck
into another valley running S.E. into the heart of the moun-
tains. The track was too bad for pack-animals, so we only
took what things we had on us and one very good animal
lightly laden. We went upa branch of the Amsmiz river,
and eventually got to what was the last hamlet on the north
slope, a tiny place of about six huts called Imi Ouern. This
was a capital place for insects, but birds were not very
numerous,
On the stream, which we followed up to its source at about
8500 feet, we found numbers of what was apparently the
Common Dipper (Cinclus aquaticus). 1 caught a nearly full-
fledged young bird, which dived ali about the bottom of a
pool and tried to hide under the stones below; this was on
July 12th. Grey Wagtails were numerous on this stream,
but, strange to say, I saw no Kingfishers, although they were
so common on the Wad Nyfys.
A very fine mountain which we ascended to the summit
was singularly devoid of bird-life, the only birds we saw being
Barbary Partridges up to about 12,000 feet, Atlas Shore-
Larks up to about the same height, a few Black-eared Chats
(Saxicola catarina), and several pairs of Pied Rock-Thrushes
(the latter with nearly-fledged young). I saw a pair of
Black Redstarts on the summit of this mountain. A Berber
shepherd told a most reliable man who was with me that
this mountain was called Tizi Gourza; but aman at Imnen-
talla told us, when we pointed to the mountain from a
distance, that it was Jebel Ogdimt, which it should be
according to Thompson’s map.
From here we went westward again, gradually getting to
the foot of the mountains by Tafegar and Anzoot. Between
the mountains and Mogador we saw but little of interest
ornithologically. There was a large migration of many kinds
of the commoner birds always going on to the south, prin-
from Morocco and the Great Atlas. 205
cipally of Shrikes, Bee-eaters, and Storks, nearly all young
birds. One place, Hamiz de Mescala, was interesting from
the quantities of Black-breasted Sand-Grouse that came to
the water actually in the middle of the village street ; a very
few Pintailed Sand-Grouse came with them. Through the
plains I did not see Moussier’s Redstart, but it occurred
again in the neighbourhood of Mogador.
In the list which follows I propose to record only those birds
that I have noted in my diary—not all the birds observed.
In the spring of 1902 I went on an expedition to the Forest
of Marmora and saw much of interest; but beyond the
presence of a splendid Bustard, presumably Hupodotis arabs,
that was common throughout the forest, although not
frequenting the densest parts, and the Golden Eagle, which
was nesting in trees, I observed nothing that was not_
found elsewhere ; but bird-life was abundant, and our
time much too short to thoroughly investigate it on this
visit ; moreover, this forest is inhabited by most undesirable
people.
1. Turpus meruta. Blackbird.
Common and in full song throughout July in the Atlas
Mountains.
2. Monticoua saxaTiILis. Rock-Thrush.
Not numerous, but breeding in all suitable places up to a
great elevation. I saw it at an altitude of 10,500 feet.
3. Monticota cyAnus. Blue Rock-Thrush.
Frequenting kasbahs and rocks up to about 6000 feet.
Not common.
4, CrncLus aquaticus. Common Dipper.
I saw the Dipper on a branch of the upper waters of the
Wad Amsmiz running down from the east of Tizi Gourza.
It was common and breeding. I saw it up to some 9000
feet. There appeared to be a pair about every mile. They
had young out of the nest, but unable to fly, in July.
5. Saxicota caTartna. Black-eared Chat.
The most abundant Chat, but not really common. It
206 Mr. KE. G. B. Meade-W aldo—Bird-Notes
frequented low hills on the borders of the desert, and I saw
a few in the Atlas.
6. SaxtcoLa stapaztna. Russet Chat.
Much less abundant than the last-named, and not fre-
quenting such arid localities.
7. Saxtcona LEucuRrA. Black Chat.
I only saw this bird on migration in August on Jebel
Bourzegan.
8. PratINcoLa RUBICOLA. Stone-Chat.
Ubiquitous wherever there was a certain amount of scrub,
but not ascending high in the mountains.
9. Ruricitta titys. Black Redstart.
Occurred at the highest elevations in the Atlas.
10. Ruricrnia Mousstert. Moussier’s Redstart.
Common in the Atlas up to at least 9000 feet, in fact as
high as there was any scrub. I did not see it on the foot-
hills, or indeed below about 3500 feet ; but it occurred
again in the neighbourhood of Mogador.
11. Syzivria HORTENSIS. Garden-Warbler.
I shot one specimen on the upper waters of the Wad
Moorbey in June.
12. Sytvra suBaLpina. Subalpine Warbler.
Very common in the Atlas at elevations of between 3000
and 7000 feet.
13. MevizorHitus pEsERTICOLA. ‘T'ristram’s Warbler.
Abounded in the cistus- and broom-scrub, above the
forest, up to 9000 feet.
14. PHYLLOSCOPUS BONELLII.
This was the most common Wood-Warbler throughout
the high moister woods on the north slopes.
15. Eriruacus ruBecuta. Redbreast.
Common in the moister woods of the Atlas.
16. Davitas tuscinia. Nightingale.
I saw a few individuals in the Atlas.
Ibis. 1903 ,P1VI.
Mintern Bros amp.
H.Goodehaild del. etith
PARUS ATiAS:
from Morocco and the Great Atlas.
17. Sytvra conspicrLyata. Spectacled Warbler.
I only noticed this Warbler to be common in one district
in the foot-hills of the Atlas.
18. SYLVIA MELANOCEPHALA. Sardinian Warbler.
Almost ubiquitous.
19. Sytvia arricaPitta. Blackcap.
Occasionally seen in the Atlas.
20. Hypouats poLtyetotta. Icterine Warbler.
I saw one example in the Atlas.
21. AEDON GALACTODES.
207
Exceedingly common, but not ascending into the mountains.
22. Areya ruLtva. Algerian Bush-Warbler.
I only saw one party.
23. Parus Mason. Great Tit.
Common in the mountains, but I did not see many indi-
viduals above the limit of the olive.
24. PaRUS ULTRAMARINUS. Ultramarine Tit.
Fairly common. I saw it up to 7000 feet.
25. Parus atuas. (Plate VI.)
Parus atlas Meade-Waldo, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 27.
Adult male and female. Most nearly allied to Parus
michalowskii Bogd., from the Caucasus, but differs chiefly in
having the black of the fore-neck extending over the sides of
the chest and (in the freshly-moulted bird) conspicuously
spangled with white, with the sides of the belly and flanks
dark smoky buff instead of pale buff.
Total length. Wing. Tail.
in. in. in.
Sresierd Nei wats 4-7 2°65 1:95
OE ice rarer 48 2°65 1:95
Hab, Atlas Mountains, Morocco (July 8th, 1901).
The Atlas Coal-Tit abounds throughout the moister woods
of the Atlas; it ascends as high as the limit of trees or
scrub. It occurred in family-parties, with fully fledged young,
in July. The old birds were in more or less heavy moult,
so that it was impossible to procure really good specimens.
208 Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo—Bird- Notes
26. TroGLopytrEs PaRVULUS. Common Wren.
The Wren appeared to be common enough in one tract of
moist forest, but I obtained only a single specimen after
much perseverance,
27. Moracitua suspersonata. (Fig. 11, a.)
Motacilla subpersonata Meade-Waldo, Bull. B. O. C. xii.
(Dele
Adult male and female. Most nearly allied to M. personata
(fig. 11, 4), from which, however, it may he at once dis-
tinguished by having the white on the forehead only half
a b
a. Motacilla subpersonata. 6. M. personata.
as wide, 0°2 inch instead of O'4inch. The black is confined to
the head, and does not extend beyond the nape. The median
and greater secondary wing-coverts are dusky brown, with
pale margins instead of white.
Total length. Wing. Tail. Tarsus.
in. in. in. in.
6 (Anco) aaoaae Ca. S30 345 3°65 0:95
OER ers ieee ca. 80 3°6 3°8 0:95
Hab. Wad Moorbey, Zragna, Morocco (June 4th and Sth,
1901).
This Wagtail was found in family-parties on the side of
the river, and was not uncommon.
28. Moracitta MELANOPE. Grey Wagtail.
The Grey Wagtail was common on all the streams of the
. from Morocco and the Great Atlas. 209
Atlas, and I saw it also about the irrigation-channels in the
neighbourhood of Marrakesh.
29. Pycnonorus opscurus. Dusky Bulbul.
This Bulbul, which abounds everywhere throughout the
Atlas region, ascends to at least 7000 feet in the moist
woods.
30. OrioLus GALBULA. Golden Oriole.
The Golden Oriole was far more abundant in some locali-
ties in the Atlas than I have ever seen it before ; it positively
swarmed at Sould Jedid and on Tsauritz Entsagauz, both
through the olive-region and as far up as there were trees
large enough to accommodate it. I saw full-grown young
in the middle of July.
31. Lanius popsoni. Grey Shrike.
A Grey Shrike, which I believe to be Lanius dodsoni or
an allied form, is very common throughout Morocco. It does
not ascend high up the mountains, but I saw a few individuals
up to 3500 feet.
32. Lantus pomeranus. Wood-Chat Shrike.
The ubiquitous Wood-Chat Shrike was migrating south
over the mountains in July; large numbers were young
birds, but there were some adults in very worn plumage.
33. Muscicapa erisota. Spotted Flycatcher.
The Spotted Flycatcher was breeding abundantly through-
out the Atlas.
34. Hirrunpo ruruLta. Red-rumped Swallow.
I first saw this Swallow in the outskirts of Rabat, where
it was breeding. I did not notice it again until just outside
Marrakesh. It was very common throughout the Atlas
region.
35, CoriLE MAURITANICA.
Cotile mauritanica Meade-Waldo, Bull. B. O. C, xi. p. 27.
The Moorish Sand-Martin is nearest to Cotile paludicola
Vieill. and C. minor Cab., but is much paler, the upper parts
being of a greyish-brown tint devoid of gloss and the under
SER, VIII.—VOL, IL. P
210 Mr. FE. G. B. Meade-Waldo—Bird-Notes
parts pale; the chin, throat, fore-neck, and neck pale smoky
grey, and the breast and the rest of the under parts pure
white.
Total length. Wine. Tail. Tarsus,
in. in, in. in.
3 (in moult) .... ca. 5:0 4:0 15 O-4
2 " act we (D0) 40 Lee O-4.
Very common on the Wad Moorbey in June. I saw no
young birds—all were adults in very deep moult. I looked
for banks where they had bred, but saw none.
36. CarpurLis ELEGANS. Goldfinch.
The Goldfinch was common in the Atlas region, but I did
not see it at any great elevation.
Qo-
07. SERINUS HORTULANUS. Serin Finch.
Serm Finches were breeding as high in the mountains as
the limit of trees. They had eggs in July.
38. CoccorHraustes vuLtcarts. Hawfinch.
The only Hawfinches which I saw were four met with at
Sould Jedid.
539. Passer DoMuEsTIcUS. Common Sparrow.
I have a note that many of the Sparrows in the mountains
appear to be imtermediate between Passer domesticus and
P. salicicola.
40. FRINGILLA spopI0GENA. Algerian Chaffinch.
Common through all the Atlas region.
41. Linota cannaBiInA. Linnet.
I have a note of seeing Linnets at 9500 feet.
42, EmpBeriza cirtus. Cirl Bunting.
The Cirl Bunting was common throughout the Atlas region
up to a considerable elevation (about 5000 feet).
43, Emperiza cia. Meadow-Bunting.
I saw the Meadow-Bunting at higher elevations than the
last-named species.
44. FRiInGILLARTA SAHAR&. Moorish House-Bunting.
The House-Bunting was locally common throughout the
Atlas. I saw it breeding in most of the kasbahs up to about
from Morocco and the Great Atlas. 211
4000 feet ; and at one place (Jebel Bourzegan) it was nesting
in rocks far removed from any human dwellings.
45. GALERIDA THECKL&. Crested Lark.
The Crested Lark is the commonest bird in Morocco ; it
occurs almost everywhere. I saw it up to a considerable
elevation in the Atlas, frequenting even comparatively small
open spaces in the woods. The form that has been named
G. t. isabellina appeared to be the most constant throughout
the south of the country.
46. ALAupDA ARBOREA. Wood-Lark.
The Wood-Lark was fairly common in the Atlas. It was
breeding in July. It frequented the upper parts of the forest
on the edge of the scrub at about 8500 feet.
47. CALANDRELLA MINOR. Lesser Short-toed Lark.
The Lesser Short-toed Lark was common throughout the
semi-deserts at the foot of the Atlas, and I saw it at intervals
throughout the country south of the Wad Moorbey.
48. MeLanocoryPHa CALANDRA. Calandra Lark.
I did not see the Calandra Lark breeding south of the
Wad Moorbey, although it was locally very common further
north,
49. Ovocorys atutas. Atlas Shore-Lark.
I saw the Atlas Shore- Lark in small flocks, with a few pairs,
on Tizi Gourza up to about 10,500 feet.
50. Srurnus unicoLor. Purple Starling.
I noticed that this Starling, locally so common in the
plains, did not reach far up into the mountains.
51. Garruxus Minor. African Jay.
The Jays that I brought from the Atlas have been named
Garrulus minor, and those that I brought from the neigh-
bourhood of Tangier G. cervicalis. The Jay is extremely
abundant throughout the wooded portions of the Atlas, and
ascends as far as the limit of trees.
52. Pica Mauritanica. Moorish Magpie.
The Magpie is locally very common, some ot the tracts of
‘Pp 2
212 Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo—Bird- Notes
acacia at the foot of the mountains being full of old and
new nests. It does not ascend nearly so high in the moun-
tains as the Jay. In the summer some districts were full of
flocks of old birds which had not bred.
538. Corvus TINGITaNus. ‘Tangier Raven.
Common everywhere.
54. CypseLus kornict. White-rumped Swift.
Locally very common. There was a large colony breeding
in the archway of the house of Muley-el-Hadji in Marrakesh.
55. CypseLus murtnus. Mouse-coloured Swift.
The common Swift of the country, breeding everywhere.
56. CAPRIMULGUS EUROPHUS. Common Nightjar.
This species was breeding throughout the Atlas up to a
great elevation.
57. Dunprocopus mMauriTaNus. Moorish Pied Wood-
pecker.
This Woodpecker was very common throughout the Atlas,
and { may add that it abounded in the Forest of Marmora
east of Rabat.
58. Gucinus vaiLtanti. Algerian Green Woodpecker.
Very common in the mountains. I used to see it far up
on the mountain-sides above the limit of trees.
59. ALcEDO IsPpipA. Common Kingfisher.
Very common and breeding on the Wad Nyfys.
60. CoraciAs GARRULUS. Common Roller.
This species, which abounds everywhere in extraordinary
numbers, ascends to a considerable height in the mountains.
I saw it breeding in old walnut-trees at an elevation of over
6000 feet at Imi Euern.
61. Mrrops apiasrer. Common Bee-eater.
The Bee-eater was seen in great numbers in July, frequent-
ing the highest mountains. Large flocks passed over every
night, migrating south.
62. Ureupra npors. Hoopoe.
Found breeding in old olive-trees at Sould Jedid in July.
from Morocco and the Great Atlas. 213
63. Strix ruaMMEA. Barn-Ovwl.
As elsewhere in Morocco, this species abounded through-
out the foot-hills of the Atlas.
64. Scors etu. Scops Owl.
This Owl was very common wherever there was sufficient
timber.
65. ATHENE Noctua. Little Owl.
Not common above 3500 feet.
66. NrorpHron PERCNopTEeRUS. Egyptian Vulture.
Very common everywhere, and the only Vulture seen.
67. Burro vutearis. Common Buzzard.
I saw a few individuals in the Atlas.
68. Faico BarBARUS. Barbary Falcon.
Although I several times saw small Falcons that I have
no doubt belonged to this species, the only pair which I
was able to identify positively were those breeding at Oolad
Lasara, on the Wad Moorbey.
69. Fatco retpecer. Lanner Falcon.
I saw Lanners on many occasions in the plains.
70. Fatco sussuteo. Hobby.
Found breeding in the Atlas in July.
71. Crrcarétus Gatticus. Snake-Eagle.
Appears to be the most generally distributed Hagle
throughout Morocco. It nests up to 7000 feet.
2. Nisarrus rasciatus. Bonelli’s Eagle.
Breeds both in trees and rocks, but I did not consider it
at all common.
73. AQuILA cHRysAETUS. Golden Eagle.
I observed the Golden Eagle in the Atlas and in the
Forest of Marmora; while I often saw large Eagles which
I could not identify.
74. ARDEA BUBULCUS. Buff-backed Heron.
I have already alluded to the great colony of Buff-backed
Herons breeding on a rocky island in the sea; but there are
numerous other colonies where there are suitable sites, and
a large number nest in the city of Marrakesh.
214 ~Bird-Notes from Morocco and the Great Atlas.
75. Comaripis EREMITA. Red-cheeked Ibis.
J did not see this Ibis in the mountains, but it does occur
there, and breeds in the cliffs and caves of Haha at no great
distance from Mogador. Personally I did not find it breeding
south of the Wad Moorbey, although I occasionally saw
flocks throughout the plains.
76. CipEMIA NiGRA. Common Scoter.
The only note of any interest made on Ducks in the south
of Morocco is that the Common Scoter was seen in large flocks
in Mazagan Bay in the beginning of August.
77. CotumBA PaLuMBUS. Ring-Dove.
Common throughout the Atlas.
‘78. CoLUMBA @Nnas. Stock-Dove.
Locally common in the Atlas.
79. Preroctes aRENARIUS. Black-bellied Sand-Grouse.
Very common on the plains and very tame. I saw a few
on the lower slopes of the mountains on broken ground.
80. Prerocies atcuata. Pintailed Sand-Grouse.
Far less numerous and much wilder than the last-named ;
I saw none away from the plains.
81. Grus communis. Common Crane.
J saw the Common Crane in flocks on the plain south of
the Wad Moorbey on June 9th.
82. GIAREOLA PRATINCOLA. Common Pratincole.
I have noted that I found the Common Pratincole nesting
in the fields in the Central Provinces. I did not see it in
the south of the country.
83. Cursorivs GALLIcUS. Cream-coloured Courser.
Seen in small numbers throughout the plains.
84. AlGIALITIS cuRONIcA. Little Ringed Plover.
Nesting in suitable places throughout the country and up
to a considerable elevation in the Atlas.
85. Toranus ocHropus. Green Sandpiper.
Usaw an example in Marrakesh on the 13th of June.
Field-Notes on the Birds of Fohkien. OV;
Ct
XIX.—Additional Field-Notes on the Birds of Fohkien.
By C. B. Ricxerr.
Tne following notes bring the list of Fohkien Birds up to
date, besides furnishing a few items of information on the
distribution of some species in the Province and on the
habits of others.
The positions of the places here named will be found on
reference to my previous papers in ‘ The Ibis’ for 1899, p. 173,
aud 1900, p. 52.
Pycnonotus AtTRicaPILuus (Vieill.).
Although this species is a common resident round Amoy,
it rarely occurs at Foochow. I have met with it only four
or five times, always in the winter months. La Touche
records one specimen from Kuatun in October (¢ Ibis,’ 1899
p. 414).
Reeurus cristarus (Linn.).
A specimen in my collection was given to me by Styan,
It was obtained by his collector at Kuatun, and is the only
example that I have met with in the Province.
TRIBURA MELANORHYNCHA (Rickett).
The type was obtained at Kuatun on May 4.
Another specimen in La Touche’s collection is iaoelled
“Central Fohkien, March.”
ARUNDINAX AEDON (Pall.).
I shot an example of this species close to Foochow in
October, but never obtained another. It is, as Styan writes,
‘no doubt often overlooked owing to its very close geueral
resemblance to Acrocephalus orientalis.”
My bird was in a patch of thick serub on a small hill quite
away from any water.
Lantus T1iGRINus Drap.
A male in full summer plumage was shot at Foochow on
May 16,1902. ‘The testes were very largely developed. The
stomach contained remains of grasshoppers and a beetle.
La Touche obtained one at Kuatun, also in May.
216 Mr. C. B. Rickett— Field- Notes
TEPHRODORNIS PELVICUS (Hodgs.).
On March 2nd my men came across a flock of fifteen
individuals at Ah Ch’ung and secured them all. At the first
shot the survivors flew wildly into the thickest part of the
wood ; but when the men came on them again they were
perched near the top of a high tree, chattering in low tones,
and allowed themselves to be shot down without making an
attempt to escape.
This is, I think, the first record of this species from the
mainland of China. It has occurred in Hainan.
CoccoruRavstEs JAPONICUS Bp.
A few years ago I saw a caged specimen which was said
to have been caught near Foochow. In January 1900 my
collector shot a female, and in the following winter a male,
both in this neighbourhood.
EMBERIZA CHRYSOPHRYS Pall.
Three or four specimens have been obtained by my col-
lectors about Ching Fung in winter. I shot one myself
near that place in December, but lost it in the thick scrub
at the edge of awood. It was in company with three or four
individuals of H. tristrami.
EMBERIZA YESSOENSIS Swinh.
A specimen was shot near here in February 1902.
AMPELIS PH@NicopTeRA T. & S.
Apparently a rare straggler. I have only two specimens,
shot in January and April.
MoractLia BoreALts Sundev.
Perhaps net uncommon on migration. I have a fine male
in full summer plumage shot on April Ist, and another
procured in October.
GECINUS CITRINO-cRIsTATUS Rickett.
The type was obtained at Yamakan on December 5, 1899.
La Touche has a specimen shot in March.
My collectors got the first example by a mere chance. They
had been resting for some time under a tree, and were just
moving away, when one of them happened to look up and saw
on the Birds of Fohkien. 217
the bird, which he shot more because they had not obtained
much that day than with any idea that it was worth shooting.
I believe that I saw a specimen near the same place. It was
seated on a large branch near the top of a high tree, where
it remained quite still for a long time. At last it flew to an
adjacent tree, and I saw at once that it was not any of our
common Woodpeckers. I called one of the men and poited
the bird out to him. We sat down and watched it for a long
time, during which it remained in the same position, merely
moving its head now and then. At last my man risked a
long shot without success, and we saw no more of it.
CHRYSOPHLEGMA RICKETTI Styan.
Styan himself shot the type at Yamakan on December 10,
1897. No other specimen was obtained (though my men
kept a sharp look out for it) till December 1899, when,
curiously enough, Styan’s collector shot one at Ah Ch’ung.
A third specimen has since been obtained at Ching Fung in
October. In the stomach of the second we found insects and
fragments of berries.
Pitta nyMpHa T. & 8.
I have a fine male shot near l’oochow on April 24, 1901.
Two friends, to whom I shewed this specimen, assured me
that they had seen a similar bird on two occasions this spring
when staying at Sharp Peak, at the mouth of the river.
CypsELus suBrurcatus Blyth.
This is a species that occurs commonly at Amoy, but never,
so far as I know, strays up to Foochow.
Swinhoe writes :—‘ I may here remark that I have never
been able to trace it further north on the Chinese coast than
Amoy ” (‘ Ibis,’ 1863).
CacOMANTIS MERULINUS (Scop.).
This common summer visitor about Amoy I have only met
with once near I’oochow.
The bird frequented some gardens near my house in April,
where for some days its wearisome note, uttered through the
whole day and far into the night, rendered it a positive
218 Mr. C. B. Rickett—Feld- Notes
nuisance,—so much so, that one or two persons whose gardens
it specially frequented offered rewards for its destruction. I
tried to shoot it myself on two or three occasions, but so well
did it conceal itself that, although I knew that it was within a
very few yards of me, I could not get a glimpse of it. No
sooner did I move away than it recommenced its irritating
note,
At last a friend saw it fly up into a pine-tree early one
morning, and shot it. ‘Troublesome to the last, it lodged in
the tree, and required several more shots to dislodge it,
eventually reaching my hands a perfect rag.
La Touche shot a specimen at Amoy in February.
Scops Lraroucurt Rickett.
The type of this species was shot at Ah Ch’ung on Decem-
ber 16,1899. Its stomach was crammed with minute insects
such as one might find in that of a Warbler.
No other specimen has been obtained, so far as | am aware.
ARCHIBUTEO STROPHIATUS Gray.
A male was shot in February.
ACCIPITER VIRGATUS (Reinw.).
Occurs in winter, but not nearly so frequently as A. nisus
or d. gularis.
ERYTHROPUS AMURENSIS Gurney.
I know of only two occurrences of this species, both in
November.
? FaLco PEREGRINATOR Sundev.
A skin sent home by me was pronounced by the Rey. H.
H. Slater to be F. atriceps Hume (Ibis, 1894, p. 223).
In ‘The Ibis’ for 1896, pp. 530, 531, Mr. Ogilvie-Grant
writes :—“ No doubt the Rev. H. H. Slater has correctly
referred the F. melanogenys Rickett from Foochow to this
continental form ” (i. e., /. peregrinator).
Last year 1 took home another specimen, which I com-
pared with the type of /. atriceps, and it appeared to me to
agree very closely with it.
This specimen is now in the British Museum.
on the birds of Fohkien,. 219
Corurnix Japonica Cassin.
Common at certain times and in certain seasons.
In the early part of November, when the second crop of
rice has been cut, very fair Quail-shooting may, in some
years, be had on the stubbles. As soon as these are ploughed
up the birds scatter about the country, and are found on
grassy hill-sides, in vegetable-gardens, and the like.
This applies to C. communis as well as C. japonica, and
hybrids of the two species are by no means uncommon.
ARBORICOLA RICKETTI Grant.
In ‘The Ibis’ for 1900, p. 59, I wrote :—‘ My man
describes the note as a low ‘ goo, goo, goo.” This, owing
to his having (like most of his countrymen) no notion of
whistling, gives a very poor idea of the sound.
I have myself since heard the note more than once. It is
a plaintively whistled “hu-u-u,”’ rising slightly in tone at the
end, and has a peculiarly melancholy effect when cften
repeated. At times the birds utter a much shriller series of
notes, which are very rapid and in an ascending scale.
They frequent thick scrub on the hill-sides or underwood
at the edge of patches of forest. They are difficult to flush,
but, when on the wing, dart through the cover at great speed
for twenty or thirty yards, only to drop again and squat
closely.
TOTANUS STAGNATILIS Bechst.
Apparently not common, I know of only three or four
specimens obtained in October, and two shot at the end of
September 1902, out of a small flock of Greenshanks.
Larus vec Stejn.
Not at all uncommon on our coast during the winter
months.
Purrinus LeucoMELAS Temm.
A few specimens shot off the coast in July and November.
DioMEDEA Nicripes Aud.
La ‘Touche has a specimen.
290) Mr. C. B. Rickett— Meld-Notes
PLATALEA LEUCORODIA Linn.
I have obtained only one specimen of this species. It was
shot in January and gave the following measurements :—
Wing 15°3 in., tarsus 6°2, culmen 8°7. The crest was not
fully developed, the longest feather being 2°5 in.
One secondary in the left wing was dark-shafted, while the
shafts of two or three primaries were faintly darkened near
the tips. The tip of the first primary in the right wing had
two tiny dark spots, otherwise the dress was that of the adult.
Bill black, spatule yellow.
Heropias aupa (Linn.).
In the Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vol. xxvi. p. 99, the Chinese
bird is described as H. timoriensis, which differs from
H. alba in haying “‘the bill yellow in summer and winter, the
train of dorsal feathers not very long and scarcely reaching
beyond the tail.”
This description certainly does not apply to the bird that
we used to meet with about Foochow before the ‘ plume
trade”? deprived us of all our Egrets.
In my four examples of this species in breeding-dress the
dorsal trains extend three or four inches beyond the tail, and
in one at least the bill is blackish.
La Touche, to whom I referred the questiou, writes as
follows :—‘* My experience is that birds in breeding-plumage
have generally greenish-black bills. The traims are always
very long, at least in the males, and extend far beyond the
tail.”
Hrropias EULOPHOTES Swinhoe.
Here again I am unable to agree with the ‘ Catalogue.’
In vol. xxvi. p. 141, Dr. Sharpe writes :—“It is with great
hesitation that I have added the name of Demiegretta eulo-
photes to the long list of synonyms of D. sacra.”
In order to throw some light on this subject, I took to
England with me in 1900 four fine specimens of H. eulophotes
in breeding-plumage. These, together with one that I had
previously presented to the Museum, and two of Swinhoe’s
skins (one of which was the type), formed a sufficiently good
on the Birds of Fohkien. 221
series to work upon. After comparing them with the large
series of D. sacra in the Museum collection, I came to the
conclusion that the two birds were quite distinct.
My reasons for thinking so are as follows :—
Firstly. The crests in the two species are quite different.
D. sacra as a very short and bushy crest.
In H. eulophotes the crest is long, the longest feathers
exceeding 4 in, in length. Swinhoe describes it as
“springing from the occiput and forming a full
ornamental crest, the highest ones being longest and
measuring 43 in. each, the length diminishing gradu-
ally to the lower ones.”
Secondly. The dorsal plumes differ very greatly.
In D. sacra these are lanceolate feathers with decomposed
edges and are worn by adult birds at all seasons.
In H. eulophotes they form a dorsal train of the well-
known Egret plumes which, in good specimens, extend
about an inch beyond the tail, but are not recurved
at the tips as in H. garzetta. ‘These plumes are only
worn in the nesting-season.
Thirdly. The colouring of the soft parts in H. eulophotes
differs from that in D. sacra as given in the writings
of Indian ornithologists. Our bird in the breeding-
season has yellow irides and bill. The bare skin in
front of the eye is bright blue. ‘Tarsus and base of
toes black ; rest of toes yellow.
Fourthly. In habits H. eulophotes isan Egret. It frequents
rice-fields, or the sides of inland ponds and creeks, and
often nests on the same trees as H. yarzetta. My
collectors have never met with it on the coast.
La Touche, to whom I have submitted the substance of
these remarks, writes :—‘‘ No additional notes on this species.
The soft parts in breeding specimens are as described. Some
specimens have the blue not so bright.”
CicoNIA BOYCIANA Swinhoe.
A fine adult specimen in La Touche’s collection is labelled
“Foochow, autumn 1900 or spring 1901.” It measures (in
the skin) :—Wing 25°25 in., culmen 9°80, tarsus 10°50.
222 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on Birds
Cyenus musicus Bechst.
Six examples were shot on the river out of a “herd” of
ten in December 1899.
ANSER RUBRIROSTRIS Hodgson.
I have only once met with this species. It was a male
shot in November.
Anser oatest Rickett, Bull. B. O. C. vol. xi. p. 46.
On my return to Foochow I heard that Mr. C. McAllum,
of the Imp. Maritime Customs at Santu, had observed some
small Geese in the Bay during the previous winter. I con-
sequently wrote to him and he kindly favoured me with the
following information :—
There were in all about forty birds in the flock, which he
had often tried to approach, but without success. On one
occasion, however, when he had no gun, they rose within
easy shot, and he noted that their legs appeared to be flesh-
coloured. They seemed to prefer rice-fields to the mud-
flats, “and rose without the cries common to the other
Geese.”’
Santu is situated in Samsha Bay, an inlet a few miles
north of the mouth of the river. It was there that the type
was obtained.
O1pEMIA CARBO (Pall.).
Occurs in winter, but is not common. All the specimens
that I have seen were in immature plumage.
XX.—An Annotated List of the Birds observed on the Orange
River between Aliwal North and Odendaalstroom from Dec.
21st, 1901, to June 21st, 1902. By C. H. T. Wurrenzap,
Lieut. Ist Bat. Highland Light Infantry.
(Mr. WHITEHEAD was stationed during the latter part of the
South-African war in the line of blockhouses running along
the Orange River between Aliwal North and Norval’s Pont.
I had some correspondence with him in regard to birds, and
asked him to keep notes of all those he met with. This
observed on the Orange River. 223
he has done, and my part in the work has been only to tran-
scribe the notes and correct ove or two obvious errors.
So few faunal lists of the birds of any part of South
Africa have been prepared that any contribution is of value
in assisting us to gain some idea of their local distribution.
References are added to Stark’s volumes on South-African
birds, so far as they go, and afterwards to Sharpe’s edition
of Layard.—W. L. S§.]
1. Corvus scavunatus. (Stark, i. p. 12.)
Very common.
2. Ditopuus caruncutatus. (Stark, i. p. 23.)
Very common. Arrived about the end of December.
3. AMYDRUS MoRIO. (Stark, 1. p. 26.)
Not common. Generally seen in rocky places. A nest
was found in a mill.
4. Amyprus carrer. (Stark, 1. p. 28.)
A colony of these fine Starlings inhabited a neighbouring
cliff. Their cries were rather like those of the Red-winged
Starling (A. morio), but could be easily distinguished.
5. Spreo Bicotor. (Stark, i. p. 30.)
Very common, and observed nesting in a donga.
6. LAMPROCOLIUS PH@NICOPTERUS. (Stark, i. p. 38.)
Common. Found more often in the bush than other
Starlings.
7. HypHanrornis veLAtus. (Stark, i. p. 58.)
Very common.
8. PLocEIPASSER MAHALI. (Stark, 1. p. 83.)
I saw four of these birds on Feb. 23rd feeding with the
Sparrows in some horse-lines on the south bank of the
river. Before rising, and as they did so, they gave utterance
to a twitter and a few loud chattering notes.
9. SPOROPIPES SQUAMIFRONS. (Stark, 1. p. 86.)
Very common in flocks when not nesting. Frequently
seen in the horse-lines, but generally amongst the heath or
224. Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on Birds
in the bush. Nests of this bird were found in March.
They were untidy and conspicuous structures, placed about
six or seven feet above the ground,
10. Estritpa astritp. (Stark, i. p. 98.)
Common and usually feeding in the bush in flocks. A
nest was found in March, well hidden at the bottom of a
bush. It contained seven eggs, varying considerably in size
and shape.
11. PyromELana onyx. (Stark, 1. p. 126.)
Not very common. Usually seen in the horse-lines or at
the outspans. Sparrow-like in its habits.
12. CoLroPaAssER PROCNE. (Stark, i. p. 139.)
Common.
13. Vipua principatis. (Stark, i. p. 145.)
Fairly common.
14. Passer arcuatus. (Stark, i. p. 160.)
Very common.
15. Passer pirrusus. (Stark, 1. p. 163.)
Fairly common. Usually seen singly or in pairs in the
bush. Occasionally visited the horse-lines.
16. Serinus canicotiis. (Stark, i. p. 168.)
T did not observe this bird until I went to Aliwal North in
June. There I saw a flock feeding with the Yellow-bellied
Seed-eater (S. flaviventris).
17. Serinus FLAvIvVeNtTRIS. (Stark, i. p. 170.)
This bird has a pretty song. I found a good many of its
nestsin March. They were flimsy structures, and frequently
burst when the young were nearly fledged. They were usually
placed about four feet above the ground in a thorn-bush,
18. SERINUS ALBIGULARIS, (Stark, 1. p. 174.)
Quite common. Very fond of the seeds of a kind of
poppy-like plant with pale yellow flowers.
19. AtaRtIo aLaRio. (Stark, 1. p. 179.)
A flock of these birds stayed for a long time near a small
observed on the Orange River. 225
spring, which they frequently visited. They fed on the
seeds of various heaths in the neighbourhood. They were
very tame and had a sweet song. At night they roosted in
the bush along the river.
20. FRincILLARIA CAPENSIS. (Stark, i. p. 187.)
Very common and tame. I found a nest containing three
eggs in some heather.
21. Frineiniaria tanapist. (Stark, i. p. 189.)
I only saw this species twice—on the 14th of April and the
9th of May. In habits it appeared to resemble the other
species of the genus, but the difference in plumage at once
caught my eye.
22. FRINGILLARIA IMPETUANI. (Stark, i. p. 190.)
Like the Mountain Canary (dlario alario), this species was
generally to be seen drinking at the springs. It feeds chiefly
on grass-seeds and is a good songster.
23. CALENDULS CRAssIROSTRIS. (Stark, i. p. 202.)
Mer common. I found two nests, both well hidden, at
the bottom of some heath. The eggs, three in number,
were spotted with black varying to greenish black. This bird
could always be recognised by its short song, uttered either
from a twig of heathj or from an ant-hill, or sometimes
when on the wing.
24. Mirarra na&via. (Stark, 1. p. 209.)
I saw a small party of these Larks feeding in the open
near Aliwal North on June 20th. They were very tame and
unwilling to rise.
25. Mikarra RUFIPILEA. (Stark, 1. p. 218.)
Common. [| did not notice this bird’s “phew” or wing-
cracking noise nearly so much or so often as that of the
Bar-tailed Lark (4M. apiata). At times we did not notice it
for weeks together, whereas at Port Elizabeth we heard
that of the Bar-tailed Lark every day, and often all day, and
this in winter from June to August.
26. TrpHRocorys CINEREA. (Stark, i. p. 222.)
Very common, especially near the outspans and farms.
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. Q
2296 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on Birds
27. CERTHILAUDA RUFULA. (Stark, i. p. 234.)
Very common. Always seen in smali parties feeding on
the old veld. The note, on rising, of the bird on the Orange
River differs appreciably from that of the same bird at Port
Elizabeth.
28. Macronyx capensis. (Stark, 1. p. 238.)
Not common in summer, but becoming very abundant in
late autumn and winter. I first saw a pair on Jan. 9th.
29. ANTHUS PyRRHONOTUS. (Stark, 1. p. 250.)
Very common.
30. ANTHUS RUFULUs. (Stark, 1. p. 251.)
Fairly common.
31. Moracitua vipua. (Stark, i. p. 255.)
Very common, especially at the edge of the water; ex-
tremely active, always calling and singing, and very tame.
32. Moraciuua capensis. (Stark, 1. p. 259.)
Very common. I found a nest with three eggs in the bank
of a donga.
33. Necrarinia raMosa, (Stark, 1. p. 276.)
T often watched this Sun-bird hovering in frout of the
yellow flowers of a tree to extract the nectar, but it does not
always do this—it equally often perches.
34, ZosTEROPS CAPENSIS. (Stark, 1. p. 302.)
Very common. Generally seen in small family-parties in
the willows, though in other bushes also. I found a nest
at the top of a small willow fifteen feet from the ground
in February. It contained one egg and two young.
35. Parus arer. (Stark, i. p. 305.)
Fairly common and very tame. In the early morning
one of these Tits used frequently to perch on the top of my
tent and sing.
36. UroLesres MELANoLEUCUS. (Stark, i. p. 3.)
Not common. I saw one or two of these birds among the
bushes on the north bank of the river.
ci)
Cie)
“NI
observed on the Orange River.
37. Lantus coutaris. (Stark, ii. p. 6.)
Very common. I found a nest with three eggs.
38. Lanrus suscoronatus. (Stark, ii. p. 9.)
I saw one or two of these Shrikes; in their habits they
resembled the previous species.
39. Lanius conturio. (Stark, ii. p. 11.)
I saw this Shrike twice. On Feb. 14th, as I was riding
along, I heard its familiar note, and on looking up saw the
bird perched on a bush.
40. Ninaus Brusru. (Stark, 1. p. 16.)
I only saw this bird once ; it was perched on a willow and
allowed a pretty close approach.
41. Dryoscorus custa. (Stark, ii. p. 25.)
I am not certain of having seen this species. The bird I
took for it was rather like a Fiscal, and was sitting on a
vine-fence. When it saw me it puffed out the feathers of
its back.
42. Lantarrus curruratis. (Stark, ii. p. 33.)
Very common.
43. PycNONOTUS NIGRICANS. (Stark, ii. p. 64.)
Very common and extremely noisy. Its favourite note is
“piture, piture.” I found several nests; they are slender
but strong structures, made of long fine roots. The eggs are
three in number, much marked with red. The adults have
a bright red eyelid; young birds, I believe, have it black.
44, PaRISOMA SUBCHRULEUM. (Stark, ii. p. 75.)
Very common, but rather difficult to see, on account of
the way in which it skulks about at the bottom of bushes.
45. PayLLoscopus TRocHILus. (Stark, ii. p. 84.)
I saw a Willow-Wren on Jan. 26th.
46. EREMOMELA FLAVIVENTRIS. (Stark, i. p. 106.)
Fairly common and very tame. Generally seen on a thorn-
tree searching for insects.
47, SYLVIELLA RUFESCENS. (Stark, 1. p. 115.)
Fairly common.
Q2
228 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on Birds
48. Apauis scita, (Stark, nu. p. 122.)
Common, but difficult to observe, because of its great
activity.
AQ, Printa supstRiata. (Stark, ui. p. 131.)
Fairly common on both banks of the river ; easily recog-
nised by its note.
50. PriniA HYPOXANTHA. (Stark, 1. p. 132.)
I saw several of these birds; they resembled the previous
species in their habits, but were not so active.
51. Prinra Macutosa. (Stark, 11. p. 133.)
Very common.
52. SprLopriLa ocuLaRia (Smith). (Stark, u. p. 138.)
Very common. Generally seen on the open veld, creeping
and flitting about amongst the heath while feeding.
53. CIsTICOLA FULVICAPILLA. (Stark, u. p. 141.)
Fairly common. Generally seen about the bushes.
54. CisTicOLA TERRESTRIS. (Stark, 11. p. 149.)
Common, but difficult to observe, as it generally alights in
thick tall grass.
55. CisTIcOLA SUBRUFICAPILLA. (Stark, 11. p. 151.)
I only saw this Grass-Warbler once. I put it up and it
flew a short distance; it then hid under some heath, and
allowed me to come almost within touching distance.
56. Turpus orivaceus. (Stark, 1. p. 175.)
This very common Thrush reminded me much of the
English Blackbird, not only by the way in which it skulked
about at the bottom of the bushes and by its notes, but also
by its nest and eggs. ‘The nest, however, is usually less solid
and is built in a more conspicuous place, the horizontal
bough of a willow being a favourite position. The colour of
the breast of this species varies a good deal.
57. Monricoua ExPLoraAtor. (Stark, 11. p. 183.)
Not very common, but after the snow cleared away indi-
viduals collected together from the hills, and one day I saw
a dozen of them feeding with the Larks and Pipits.
observed on the Orange River. 229
58. Mykmecocicuta rormictvora, (Stark, ii. p. 186.)
Very common. Sings well, both on the ground and
whilst hovering. It is fond of flying up vertically fifteen feet
or so and hovering for a few seconds, sometimes to sing, at
other times apparently to catch flies. This is the most
noticeable bird on the veld.
59. PRratincota Torquata. (Stark, ii. p. 190.)
Not very common. Usually seen in pairs.
60. Saxicota Monticota. (Stark, ii. p. 194.)
Very common. I saw it in all stages of plumage. In
habits it is similar to the Ant-eating Chat (Myrmecocichla
formicivora), though it usually flies up obliquely instead
of vertically before hovering.
61. Saxicoua pineata. (Stark, 1. p. 196.)
Common near Aliwal North. I generally saw this species
feeding with the Larks, though if a Lark settled near a
Wheatear it was always driven off.
62. Saxicota Layarpr. (Stark, 11. p. 200.)
Very common and tame. Usually in family-parties
feeding amongst the heath in the open. When put up it
moves off with a jerky flight, uttering a squeak with each
jerk, but rarely going far.
63. SaxicoLa FAMILIARIS. (Stark, 1. p. 201.)
Very common. A pair of these birds used to frequent my
hut. One day as I was sitting in it one of them flew to my
shoulder and then to my knee. I found a nest on the top
of an old ant-hill with three young in it.
64, CossypHa carrra. (Stark, 1. p. 213.)
Very common. I found several nests, which strongly
reminded me of those of our English Robin.
65. TarsicerR sttens. (Stark, u. p. 219.)
Fairly common. By no means a silent bird. Generally
seen perched on the top of a bush, and often making a great
deal of noise.
230 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on Birds
66. ERyrHropyeia corypHa&us. (Stark, ii. p. 229.)
Very common and noisy.
67. Dicrurus arer. (Stark, ii. p. 265.)
A pair was seen on the river-bank early in June.
68. Corte paLupicoLa. (Stark, ii. p. 283.)
Very common. It nested in holes on the banks of dongas,
just like the English Sand-Martin.
69. CoriLE cincTa. (Stark, i. p. 284.)
A number of these Martins appeared about the 19th of
April and disappeared again about a week later.
70. PryonopPRoGNE FruuicuLa. (Stark, 11. p. 287.)
A few pairs of this species frequented some rocky kopjes.
They seemed just as active in the middle of the day as in
the evening.
71. Hrrunpo rustica. (Stark, un. p. 289.)
Very common, but departing early in April.
~
72. HiruNDO aLBicuLaRis. (Stark, 11. p. 292.)
I only identified one of these birds, but I believe that
they were common. I overlooked them till just before they
left im the autumn.
73. Hirunpo cucutiata. (Stark, 1. p. 298.)
Very common. I found one nest with a curved tunnel to
it. When the young were hatched, the parents broke a hole
in the bowl and added a second tunnel, which was straight.
I suppose that the parents found the curve awkward when
they had to feed the young so often.
74, PETROCHELIDON sPILoDERA. (Stark, 1. p. 304.)
A colony of this Swallow occupied the underside of an
arch of a railway-bridge near Aliwal North. There must
have been at least eighty nests.
75. Urupa arricana, Bechst. (S. & L. p. 134.)
Fairly common.
observed on the Orange River. 231
76, CYPSELUS AFRICANUS.
77. CYPSELUS BARBATUS.
Cypselus apus, S. & Li. p. 90.
Flocks of both these Swifts appeared periodically for a few
hours.
78. CypseLus carrer. (S. & L. p. 92.)
I noticed a few pairs of this Swift all through the summer.
They must have nested here, I think.
79. CaprimuLeus EvRoP#Us. (S. & L. p. 83.)
A native shewed me two young of this Nightjar just
hatched. The old bird rose as we came up; she was brown,
without white spots, and larger than the next species *.
80. Caprimuteus ruFIGENA. (S. & L. p. 85.)
Very common.
81. Merops apiaster. (S. & L. p. 96.)
The Bee-eater was common, and nested in holes in the
banks of the donga. It appeared to be fond of locusts, and
of a humming grasshopper, which lived among the willows.
82. CeryLe rupis. (S. & L. p. 110.)
Fairly common; when surprised it flew about making a
kind of rippling whistle.
83. Hancyon asiventris. (S. & L. p. 115.)
I never actually saw this species near the Orange River, but
frequently heard its loud ery. This I at once recognised
when I heard it again near Port Elizabeth, where I saw and
identified the bird.
84. Conius capensis. (S. & L. p. 552.)
Very common, generally in family-parties. It frequently
utters a loud rapidly repeated metallic note. Sometimes
two or three may be seen hanging together on a branch at
the full length of theirlegs. Flght fairly rapid and straight,
though rarely sustained beyond one hundred yards. One
day I was chasing a Monitor, when it suddenly ran up a
* [This bird probably belonged to another species, as the European
Nightjar has never been known to breed in South Africa.—W. L. 8.)
232 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on Birds
bush about fifteen feet high. I tried to shake it off, when
out flew a Coly from another branch. I climbed up and
found a nest with three hard-set eggs. This was on the 4th
of March. The eggs and nest reminded me very much of
those of our Greenfinch, but the eggs were rather larger
and the nest more solidly built, being made of sticks and
lined with wooi.
85. Grocotaptss otivacevs. (S. & L. p. 187.)
Fairly common, and generally seen in pairs or in small
family-parties. It flies with a whirry jerky sort of flight.
The note is a loud “ ki ki.”
86. Denpropicus carpinatis. (S. & L. p. 190.)
Not very common, and always seen singly. Its call is rather
like that of the Cape Robin-Chat, but louder. It is usually
found among the willows.
87. TRIcHoLaMA LEUcoMELAS. (S. & L. p. 178.)
Very common, and at once recognised by its ery, which is
It is more often heard than
seen. A pair nested in a hole im a tree about a foot deep
three feet from the ground.
elo)
like the French word “ pain.
88. CoccysTEs HYPOPINARIUS Cab. et Heine.
Coccystes jacobinus S. & Li. p. 158.
I saw one of these Cuckoos on January 26th. I was
attracted by its ery, which is rather like the alarm-note
of a Cape Robin-Chat, but loud and harsh. It flew from
bush to bush, after which I noticed it alight on the ground
beside a Pied Starling and drive it away. It then followed
it into a bush, screeching and jostling it. This time the
Starlmg went to a post ; the Cuckoo once more followed
and settled on the top of the Starling, screeching at it and
driving it away again.
89. Coccystus serratus. (S. & L. p. 160.)
I saw a pair on Dec. 21st; they were on the bark near the
top of a tree. The notes were “ wicky wooky ”
followed by a Tit-like call,
and “ tock,7”
observed on the Orange River. 233
90. Curysococcyx smaracpiIneus. (S. & L. p. 151.)
I only saw this bird once at close quarters. This was on
the 16th of March. It was perched on some heath.
91. Nuopnron Percnorterus. (S. & L. p. 6.)
Occasionally seen hovering overhead.
92. SERPENTARIUS secRETARIUS. (S. & L. p. 8.)
A pair of these birds built their nest in a bush about ten
feet from the ground. Unfortunately the eggs were stolen.
93. Mrrrerax canorus. (S. & L. p. 17.)
One of these Hawks used frequently to feed on the bank
of the river close to a blockhouse.
94. Hartaretus vocirer. (S. & L. p. 46.)
I once saw what I believed to be this Sea-Kagle scouring
along a rocky ridge. It passed close to me several times,
and chased a Hawk to within about thirty yards of me.
95. Exanus caruteus. (8. & L. p. 52.)
Fairly common. Very fond of perching on the telephone-
wire.
96. TinNuNcuLUs RUPICOoLA. (S. & L. p. 62.)
Very common. Jt nested in the cliffs and often allowed a
near approach,
97. TinNUNCcULUs RUPICOLOIDES. (S. & L. p. 63.)
Some of my men took a pair of these Kestrels from their
nest in a cranny in the cliffs. They were kept a long time
and became fairly tame. <A few flight-feathers were pulled
out, but when these grew again the birds flew off, though
they came back for food for some time afterwards.
98. Buso macunosus. (S. & L. p. 73.)
Very common. One of these Ow!s was caught when coming
after some domestic Pigeons, and soon became quite tame.
I often saw them out in broad daylight. They can be heard
calling in the tops of trees an hour before sunset.
99. CotumBa pH#oNoTA. (S. & L. p. 559.)
Very common. There were at least a pair on every
deserted farm. One pair built on the top of an old Red-
234. Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on Birds
winged Starling’s nest at a mill on the river-bank. <A great
many nested:and roosted on the cliffs. A flock might always
be found on the mules’ manure-heap outside. the camp, and
in the hard weather must have numbered two hundred or
more.
100. CoLumMBA arquatrix. (S. & L. p. 561.)
I saw one or two in the autumn in the bushes. I suppose
that they were feeding on the berries, but they never let me
get close enough to see.
101. Turrur semrrorquatus. (S. & L. p. 566.)
I believe that I saw these Doves, but I am not quite
certain.
102. Turrur capicota. (S. & L. p. 567.)
These birds were very common, the bush being full of them.
They are locally known as “ Tw6-t6-oné bar Sne,” because of
the note.
103. Turtur senecatensis. (S. & L. p. 568.)
Common. Frequently seen feeding at the outspans with
the Doves above mentioned.
104. Gina capensis. (S. & L. p. 572.)
Very common and always in great numbers about the
horse-lines. In spite of its long tail and short wings, it
seems to be able to fly pretty fast. The nest is very small
and frail, generally placed low down in a bush (about two to
four feet from the ground), without much attempt at con-
cealment. Eggs cream-coloured.
105. Prerocturus namaqua. (S. & L. p. 574.)
These birds began to arrive about the middle of May.
Their cry once heard is not easily forgotten. Several flocks
were invariably to be found in a certain old mealie-field,
in spite of our shooting two or three individuals almost
every morning.
106. FRANCOLINUS LEVAILLANTI. (S. & L. p. 596.)
Very common. I found a nest with a fresh egg in it on
Dec. 16th. I also saw young able to fly well about the
same time. Moreover, I saw young only a few weeks old
observed on the Orange River, 235
in June ; so it looks as if they breed all the year round. I
shot one bird whose crop was so crammed with bulbs that
it burst on striking the ground.
107. Corurnix capensis. (S. & L. p. 603.)
Fairly common. Arrived carly in April. 1 generally
found it on the edge of the bush or on old “ lands.”
108. Numrma coronara, (S. & L. p. 581.)
Huge flocks of Guinea-fowl lived amongst the bushes on
the north bank of the river. They roosted on the trees and
packed very closely on the branches.
109. Furica cristata. (S. & L. p. 621.)
There were always a good many on the large dam.
110. Compsoris Lnucoprera.
Otis afroides 8. & L. p. 642.
On March 7th I put up five of these birds. They went
away crying “ kuk-knock-me-down ” very distinctly. These
were the words I had used to describe the ery before I saw
Layard’s account.
111. Hererorerrax vicorsi (Smith).
Otis scolopacea S. & Li. p. 637.
This was the common Knorhaan on the Orange River.
Its ery is “kuk-koraan, kuk-koraan,”’ but it sometimes
rises silently.
112. TracnELoris caruescens (Vieill.).
Otis verreauai 8. & Li. p. 639.
This species was fairly common, if, as I suppose, it was our
small rufous Bustard.
113. Cipicnemus capensis. (S. & L. p. 645.)
I saw several pairs, sometimes on the river-bank amongst
the bush, sometimes in the open, and sometimes on rough
hill-sides.
114. Cursorius rurus. (S. & L. p. 653.)
Very common in autumn and winter, but I only saw a few
pairs in summer: it runs a short distance and then stops
aud stands upright ; when it rises it makes a good deal of
noise, but is easy to approach.
236 Lieut. C. H. TIT, Whitehead on Birds
115. Ruinorrinus sicincrus, (S. & L. p. 654.)
Very common and unsuspicious. In summer it often
makes a great deal of noise when on the ground. Usually
seen in pairs or family-parties. In autumn I found it singly
or in pairs and very silent.
116. Rurtnopritus cHatcoprerus. (S. & L. p. 656.)
I first noticed the Bronze-winged Courser on March 30th
at the edge of the bush by the river. It allowed me to ap-
proach very closely before taking to the wing, and then it only
fluttered a few yards into the bush. I frequently saw one
or more about the same place from March till April 17th,
when I shot one in the open, close to the Stormberg spruit.
117. GuaREOLA MELANOPTERA. (S. & L. p. 650.)
I frequently saw these birds passing overhead in December
and January, and also observed them occasionally on the
ground. I never remember seeing them after locusts. I
shot a pair out of a flock that were feeding at the edge of
some flooded ground on Jan. 10th.
118. SreeHaNIBYX CORONATUS.
Chettusia coronata S. & L. p. 670.
Very common. ‘This Plover usually rises the first time it
is put up well within shot. As it rises it utters a harsh
quack.
119. Ae1ativis TRIcoLLARIs. (S. & L. p. 662.)
Verycommon. ‘The note isa sharp squeak, often heard in
the middle of the night.
(120. Aigtauitis pecuaria. (S. & L. p. 661.)
I shot one of these Sand-Plovers out of a party feeding on
the edge of some flooded ground on January 10th, and another
on May 10th. These are the only two occasions on which
I came across this species.
121. Toranus catipris. (S. & L. p. 688.)
I often saw a bird which, if it was not a Redshank, was
extremely like it, but its legs were dull red instead of orange-
red. I used to see it at the mouth of a donga, as well as on
the sandbanks in the river and at the water’s edge.
observed on the Orange River. 237
122. Toranus staGnatitis. (S. & L. p. 690.)
I saw an individual of this species on Jan. Ist walking
about in a small pool. I watched it catch and eat a small
fish.
4-123. Toranus cangscens. (S. & L. p. 687.)
Common. Usually seen singly, but about the middle of
February | saw a considerable flock by the large dam.
124. Heropias atpa. (8S. & L. p. 714.)
I only once saw this fine bird, on the Ist of March; it
was standing at the edge of the large dam.
125. Nycticorax crisnus. (S. & L. p. 724.)
IT occasionally put up one of these birds when walking
through the bush. I often saw them at the large dam.
126. Scopus umBrettTa. (S. & L. p. 725.)
Common. I saw several of its huge nests on a rocky
ledge.
127. Crconta atpa. (S. & L. p. 728.)
I saw twenty-three White Storks by the large dam on
Feb. 17th. They stayed there some days. They allowed me
to approach within twenty yards of them.
128. PLecrroprerus GaMBENsIs. (S. & L. p. 746.)
I saw a Spur-winged Goose on Jan. 7th standing on the
sandbank in the middle of the river preening its feathers.
129. CHENALOPEX aGyptiaca. (S. & L. p. 747.)
Common. A pair nested at the large dam. I saw them
with five tiny goslings on Feb. 17th. ‘The call, when about
to rise, is a loud “ kor kor.”
130. Casarca cana. (8S. & L. p. 753.)
Common in autumn. The call when about to rise is a
loud musical ‘‘ kor kor.” An officer who knows this Duck
well tells me that he found one sitting on its nest among
the rocks above the river at a place fifteen miles east of
Aliwal North.
131. Anas sparsa. (S. & L. p. 756.)
Very common. Almost always in pairs. I believe that
238 Dr. E. Lonnberg on
a pair nested up a donga on the north bank, because they
were there all the summer and used to swim about at the
mouth of it in the evening. The Black Duck may often
be seen flying about in the middle of the day.
132. QuEeRquEpuLa capensis. (S. & L. p. 758.)
I saw a small flock of the Cape Teal paddling about at the
edge of the large dam on the 20th of May.
133. Pa@crboneTra ERYTHRORHYNCHA. (S.&L. p. 754.)
A flock of Red-billed Teal used to feed on a sandbank in
the river every night, leaving soon after dawn.
134. Popicrees cristatus. (S. & L. p. 785.)
One seen in the middle of the large dam early in April.
135. Srrouraio ausrratis. (S. & L. p. 791.)
I occasionally saw one or two Ostriches on the north bank
of the river. All were probably escaped birds.
XX1.-- Remarks on the Type-specimens of certain Birds named
by the late Carl Peter Thunberg. By Dr. Einar Lonnpenre,
C.M.Z.S.
In the Zoological Museum of the Royal University of Upsala
there still exist certain specimens of birds which were named
and described by Carl Peter Thunberg. I have recently
examined these types, which are the more important as
Thunberg’s names have been almost entirely unknown to and
disregarded by later authors, even in such an important work
as the ‘ Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum.’ =Thun-
berg was not an ornithologist ex professo, and in his various
papers he sometimes erred in naming, and describing as
new, birds which were already known and described, in certain
cases even by Linnzus. In some instances, nevertheless,
Thunberg’s names have priority, and must have their rights,
after the descriptions have been compared with the still
existing and labelled type-specimens, which have been
examined and determined.
Type-specimens of certain Birds. 239
To Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, who has kindly favoured me
with his opinion about some of the very difficult Tyrannide,
I beg to offer my best thanks for his valuable assistance.
In the year 1819 Thunberg described what seemed to him
to be a new species in ‘ Gotheborgiska Kgl. Vettenskaps och
Vitterhets Samhallets Nya Handlingar’ (G6theborg, 1819).
He gave a coloured figure of the bird and named it Tapera
brasiliensis. ‘This figure is quite recognisable as representing
the Cuculus nevius of Linnzeus (or Diplopterus nevius as
it is now termed), although so far faulty that three toes
are represented as directed forwards. The type-specimen
corresponding to this plate and this name still exists in the
Museum: it is a young bird of the species above mentioned.
The generic name Tapera does not seem ever to have been
recognised in literature. It is not recorded in Scudder’s
‘Nomenclator,’ nor is it to be found in Giebel’s ‘ Thesaurus
Ornithologie.’ In spite of this omission, it must now be
recognised ; and as the name Diplopterus was given by Boie
to the same bird seven years later (in 1826), Tapera has
undoubted priority, and the species must stand as Tapera
nevia (Linn.). (Kor other synonyms see Cat. B. Brit. Mus.
X1x. p. 423.)
It is true that Thunberg did uot realize the affinity between
his Tapera and the Cuckoos, and seems to have been inclined
to place it among the “ Curvirostres ” (including the Linnean
genera Caprimulgus, Hirundo, and Pipra). The reason whv
he did so is stated in his paper to be the resemblance between
Tapera and the Goatsuckers with regard to the coloration of
the feathers, and between Tapera and Pipra as regards the
bill (it must be remembered that the specimen is young).
The fact, however, that the bird was erroneously placed ia the
System cannot be a just reason for consigning Thunberg’s
generic name to oblivion, when he has properly described
(in Latin) and figured the type-specimen. In the figure,
which is rather good for the time, the characteristic great
length of the upper tail-coverts is correctly reproduced,
and other features on which generic as well as specific
descriptions have been based are conspicuous. I am there-
240 Dr. E. Lénnberg on
fore confident that when the attention of ornithologists has
been drawn to Thunberg’s name Tapera it will be generally
accepted.
in the year 182] Thunberg deseribed, in ‘ Kgl. Vetenskaps-
Akademiens Handlingar’ (Stockholm, 1821), a bird which he
named Brachyurus gularis. ‘The type-specimen is still m
this Museum, and is the same as Conopophaga melanops
(Vieill.*). (For other synonyms see Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xv.
p. 334.)
In this case Thunberg’s specific name is merely a synonym,
as it is antedated by the name given by Vieillot.
In the year 1820 Thunberg contributed a paper, entitled
“Pipree novee species descript,” to the ‘Mémoires de
Académie Impériale des Sciences de St. Pétersbourg,’
t. vill. This was not, however, printed until 1822. In
it he describes as new thirteen species of South-American
birds, all of which he refers to the genus Pipra. The
type-specimens of the majority are still in this Museum,
and a revision of them shews the following facts :—
1. Prpra caupara Thunberg, 1822, = Pipra caudata Shaw,
1794. The accepted name is Chiroxiphia caudata (Shaw).
(For other synonyms see Cat. B, Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 310.)
2. Pipra rorricara Thunberg, 1822, = Phibalura flavi-
rostris Vieillot, 1816. The latter is the correct name. (For
other synonyms see Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 372.)
3. Prera Lineata Thunberg, 1822,= Pipra regulus Hahn
& Kiister, 1821. The correct name is Macheropterus regulus
(Hahn & Kiister). (For other synonyms see Cat. B. Brit.
Mus. xiv. p. 304.)
In this case Thunberg’s name has been duly recognised
among the synonyms in literature. Unfortunately it was
not published until 1822, although bestowed in 1820, and
through this delay the specific name “regulus” obtained
priority.
.* Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. 1816-19. Platyrhynchus melanops.
Type-specimens of certain Birds. 241
4. Prpra cyanea Thunberg, 1822, of which the type is
apparently lost.
5. Prpra viripis Thunberg, 1822. This is a female of
Chiroxiphia caudata (Shaw) (see above). The great difference
of the sexes led Thunberg to name this species twice.
6. Pipra virens Thunberg, 1822.
7. Prpra pusitta Thunberg, 1822.
Of these species the types cannot be found.
8. Prera Fascrata Thunberg, 1822,=Sublegatus platy-
rhynchus Sclater & Salvin. (lor other synonyms see Cat.
B. Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 158.) In this case Thunberg’s name
has undoubted priority, because even if Prince Max. von
Wied’s Muscipeta incanescens* be referred to this bird, a
proceeding which Dr. Sclater seems to regard as questionable,
Thunberg’s name antedates it by many years. The species
must therefore stand as Sublegatus fasciatus (Thunberg).
The type-specimen is from Brazil.
9. Pipra rrontatis Thunberg, 1822,=female of Pzpra
pectoralis Latham, 1801. Its modern name is Euphonia
pectoralis (Latham). (For other synonyms see Cat. B. Brit.
Mus. xi. p. 80.)
10. Pipra cepHaLnucos Thunberg, 1822,=female of Pipra
Jeucocilla Linneus, 1766, which is also its correct name.
(For other synonyms see Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 297.)
In Thunberg’s paper (/. c. p. 286) there is a misprint or
lapsus calami, as “ atrocapilla” is given imstead of ‘ /euco-
capilla,’ to which latter name the Linnean “ leucocilla”’” had
been changed by Gmelin (Syst. Nat. ed. xii. p. 1002).
Thunberg had recognised the likeness between his specimen
and the Linnean Pipra leucocilla, but, as the latter had been
described as black and the former was green, he proposed a
new name, not recognising the sexual difference of coloration.
1]. Pipra ruavocasteR Thunberg, 1822, = Muscicapa
S: , Y
pagana Licht. 1824. Its modern name is Elainea pagana
* Beitr. Naturg. Bras. 11. 1830-31.
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. Kh
242 Prof. M. Menzbier and Dr. P. Sushkin on the
(Licht.). (For other synonyms see Cat. B. Brit. Mus.
xiv. p. 137.) Thunberg’s name for this bird has con-
sequently indisputable priority, so that it should be Hlainea
flavogasira (Thunberg). The type-specimen is from Brazil.
12. Prera sBrunnea Thunberg, 1822,= Muscipeta bima-
culatus VOrb. & Lafr. 1837 (fide Sclater). Its modern name
is Empidonax bimaculatus (VOrb. & Lafr.), which, however,
should be changed to Empidonaz brunneus (Thunberg). (For
other synonyms see Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 224.)
13. Prera arra Thunberg, 1822, = Muscicapa colonus
Vieillot *. The modern name is Copurus colonus (Vieill.).
The type-specimen is a young bird, and I am indebted to
Dr. Sharpe for its determination, as it would have been
impossible for me to come to any conclusive result about it
for want of material for comparison. 'Thunberg’s name is
in this case merely a synonym.
XXII.—On the Adult Dress of the Labrador Falcon,
By Prof. M. Menzsrer and Dr. P. SusHKin.
THe Lasrapor Faxrcon (Hierofalco labradorus) must
undoubtedly be considered one of the most interesting
forms of the genus. It was first figured in 1831 by
Audubon, but in course of time was either forgotten or
referred to other species, until it was re-established in 1875
_ by Mr. Dresser, who has had an opportunity of seeing and
examining many specimens of this Jerfalcon. Of these
some were stated by him to be adults and some young;
while amongst the characters of this species he pointed out
the lead-blue legs (‘‘pedes plumbei,” Ornith. Mise. vol. i.
p. 185). Though, im comparison with other well-known
species of Jerfalcon, neither the character of the coloration of
the plumage nor the colour of the legs told much in favour
of Mr. Dresser’s views, scarcely any objection has been
* Dict. Nouv. d’Hist. Nat. 1816-19.
Adult Dress of the Labrador Falcon. 243
made to them. In the year 1884 one of us (Menzbier),
when in London, was fortunate enough, through the kindness
of Mr. Dresser, to be able to examine and describe two
specimens of the Labrador Jerfalcon in the collection of
that ornithologist. As neither of them shewed any traces
of moult, it was impossible to arrive at a decided conclusion
as to their age. Notwithstanding this, our study of the
Palzearctic as well as of the Nearctic Jerfalcons made us
consider the existence in the genus Hierofalco of a species
with plumage and legs as described by Mr. Dresser (i. e.,
almost without any well-marked change of colour depending
on age and with blue legs) very singular.
For the elucidation of this question, when Sushkin was
departing for Western Europe, he was requested to visit all
the museums where skins of Labrador Jerfalcons might be
expected to be found. The Museum of Brunswick (Tech-
nische Hochschule) seemed likely to be of the greatest
interest in this respect, and it did not fail to realize our
expectations. Through the kindness of Dr. Blasius, Jr.,
Mr. Sushkin had the opportunity of examining the whole
collection of the late Dr. W. Blasius, and many of the
skins were even sent to Moscow for Menzbier to study.
We found at Brunswick nine specimens of the Labrador
Jerfalcon, more or less agreeing with the description by
Mr. Dresser, and three of these were in moult, new feathers
being detected’ on the rump, thighs, and tail. Besides this,
traces of moult on the rump and small scapulars were found
in one of three specimens in the Museum of Berlin.
Basing our opinion upon careful examination of moulting
specimens, we came to the conclusion that the plumage of the
Labrador Jerfalcon which follows its uniform dark brown
dress might be roughly characterized as the same as that of the
majority of the Jerfalcons, 7. ¢., dark above, with lighter trans-
verse markings and a distinct wash of bluish on the mantle.
According to these two dresses (first dark brown and secondly
transversely marked), the Labrador Jerfaleon would be the
nearest relative of the Norwegian Jerfalcon, from which it
may be distinguished by the following characters :—The
R 2
244. On the Adult Dress of the Labrador Falcon.
dark colour of the upper parts in the Labrador Jerfalcon is
much more sooty; the light transverse markings are not
only much darker than in the Norwegian Jerfalcon, but also
less developed; they are narrower and do not nearly reach
the shafts; the rump is uniform, without any trace of
transverse markings; the thighs are dark slaty, with buffy-
white transverse spots, and not buffy white with dark trans-
verse bars, as in the adult Norwegian Jerfalcon ; while the
inner webs of the primaries are not barred, but slightly
marbled with buff.
By these characters we can infallibly recognise the beautiful
specimen in the British Museum (No. 90.3.13.1) from
Canada as Mierofalco labradorus. It is an old bird with
yellow legs, perceptible even in the skin*. The general
colour above is very dark brown, conspicuously washed with
bluish; the top of the head is very dark, somewhat darker
than the mantle, with no markings at all. The ear-coverts
are uniformly dark, like the top of the head. The mastachios
are not detached from the ear-coverts. The upper back is
uniform in colour, with scarcely perceptible light spots on
the margins of some of the feathers. The upper surface of
the wing is like the upper back. The lower back and rump
are decidedly more bluish than the upper back, of a dirty
smoky blue. The under parts are very much spotted, dark
brown in general colour, with pale buff transverse spots.
The under tail-coverts are barred, but the dark bars are
very much broader than the light bars—quite the reverse of
‘the state of things in Hierofalco gyrfalco. The wing-linings
are as dark as the under parts of the body ; the under surface
of the primaries is of the same character as in the young
bird, the hght bars being replaced by nearly inconspicuous
markings.
Thus the adult Labrador Jerfalcon differs very much in its
coloration from the young, and the slight modifications,
* After looking over a number of specimens of Jerfalcons and Sakers,
both in the flesh and in skins, we have come to the conclusion that the
yellow colour of the legs is perceptible in dried as well as in fresh
specimens.
On the Breeding of Ross’s Snow-Goose in Captivity. 245
determined by Mr. Dresser as variations depending on age,
are merely individual variations of the young birds. His
determination is still more surprising, because he had an
opportunity of examining the series of Labrador Jerfalcons
in the Brunswick Museum, and evidently did not notice the
specimens in moult, as we do not find anything about them
in his article.
The other adult specimen of the Labrador Jerfalcon which
we know of (from Newfoundland) is now in the Brussels
Museum. It is just like the bird in the British Museum
described above, but not so bright. We take this opportunity
of thanking M. Dubois for sending us a water-colour drawing
and a description of this specimen.
Perhaps it may be of interest to add that Joseph Wolf,
who made the first figure of the female Labrador Jerfalcon
for Mr. Dresser; did not believe that the original of his
picture was an adult bird (see Palmer’s ‘Life of Wolf,’
p. 272).
XXITI.—Notes on the Breeding of Ross’s Snow-Goose in
Captivity. By F. E. Buaauw.
Av a meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club on March
20th, 1901 (see Bull. B. O. C. xi. p. 55), I exhibited an egg
of the rare Ross’s Snow-Goose (Chen rossi) laid in captivity
by a solitary female kept by me at Gooilust. A year later,
through the courtesy of Dr. Heck of Berlin, I received a
second specimen of this species, which fortunately proved,
as I hoped it would, to be a male. The birds soon paired,
and in the beginning of May 1902 the female made a nest
under a bush in her enclosure. The nest was, as is usual
with Geese, a small depression in the soil, lined with dry
grass and grass-roots.
Towards the end of the month the female began to lay, and
on the 30th, when the full complement of five eggs had been
deposited, she began to sit, having in the meantime abun-
dantly lined her nest with down from her own breast.
The two birds had always been of a very retiring dis-
246 On the Breeding of Ross’s Snow-Goose in Captivity.
position, but after the female had laid her eggs the male,
who nearly always kept watch close by the nest, became
quite aggressive. He would fearlessly attack anybody that
approached.
So far everything had gone as is usual with Geese, but
on the 21st of June, in the morning—that is, after 21 days’
incubation,—I was much astonished to find that the young
had already been hatched.
Although T had bred Geese of very different sizes, from the
large Chloephaga magellanica to the small Bernicla jubata, and
of very different genera, I had never experienced a shorter
time than 28 days as the term of incubation. Probably Chen
rossi breeds very far up in the north, where the summers are
short and the vegetation short-lived, so that the whole process
of propagation of the species has only a restricted time for
completion. This may explain why this species has the
advantage of a week over the other kinds of Geese.
To return to this particular brood. All the five eggs had
hatched, and the little birds were still in the nest when |
noticed them, forming a most charming group, ever watched
as they were by their anxious parents.
The chicks are of a yellowish grey, darker on the upper-
side and lighter below, and have, what makes them most
conspicuously beautiful, bright canary-yellow heads, with
the most delicate greyish sheen over them, caused by the
extremity of the longer down-hairs being of that colour. The
bill is black, with a flesh-coloured tip. A little spot in
front of each eye is also blackish. The legs are olive-green.
The down is wonderfully full and heavy, and it seems almost
incredible how such large birds can have come out of such
small eggs. Three of the chicks were as described above,
but two of them had the part white which in the others
was yellow.
This variation in colour of the chicks is, I may remark, not
peculiar to Chen rossi, other species of Geese occasionally
shewing the same phenomenon. Thus, for example, the chicks
of Chloephaga dispar and C. magellanica also offer two
distinct types of coloration, which I find has nothing to do
Recently published Ornithological Works. 247
with the sex of the birds. The parents were extremely
anxious about their chicks and terribly restless, and to this,
I fear, is to be attributed the fact that I did not succeed in
rearing the young.
Although the chicks soon began to feed and grew very
rapidly at first, | soon observed that one after the other
got something wrong with its breathing-organs, and to my
great disappointment they died successively, so that the last
was found dead a fortnight after they had been hatched.
All that I can add is that, as is usual with chicks, the
intensity of the coloration gradually diminished as they got
older, and in particular the brightness of the yellow of the
head and the depth of the black in front of the eyes slowly
diminished, so that even when a week old the delicate glory
of it had largely disappeared.
Perhaps next season the chicks (if I get any) will live, so
that I may observe what the first plumage is hke!
The chick ot Chen rossi differs from that of Chen hyper-
boreus chiefly in having a shorter and comparatively higher
bill and in the want of a blackish stripe over the head, which
is present in C. hyperboreus. The chick of C. hyperboreus
is also darker, especially on the back, and of a more olive-
green colour, while the down is less dense.
XXIV.—WNotices of recent Ornithological Publications.
[Continued from p. 152. |
40. Allen on Species and Subspecies.
[So-called Species and Subspecies. By J. A. Allen. Reprinted from
‘Science,’ n.s. xvi. pp. 383-386, 1902. }
Mr. Allen, while viewing with much regret the extremely
“fine splitting” into subspecies now so prevalent, contends
that the expert, and not the layman, should be judge in such
matters ; for many forms, perfectly distinct on comparison,
cannot well be described in terms that give a true idea of
their value. He calls attention to the fact that the A.O. U.
constantly refuses to recognise subspecies which are not in a
248 Recently published Ornithological Works.
strict sense new discoveries, but depend only on a re-estimate
of their nomenclatural value, while he makes a continued
profession of his faith in trinomials.
As an answer to the paper which he cites from ‘ Science,’
his observations are greatly to the point; but we think that
he hardly lays enough emphasis on the fact that the primary
object of all subdivisions is to make it easier, and not harder,
to determine the various forms ; while he might have taken the
opportunity to denounce strongly the practice of claiming
subspecific rank for what are often little more than incidental
varieties.
41. Andersen on the Birds of the Feroe Islands.
(Meddelelser om Feergernes Fugle. 5te Rekke. Efter skriftlige
Oplysninger fra P, F. Petersen, Nolso, og 8. Niclassen, Mygeenzes. Ved
Knud Andersen. Vidensk. Meddel. f. d. naturh. Foren. i Kbhvn. 1902,
pp. 325-365. ]
This is a fifth mstalment of Mr. Andersen’s excellent
notes on the ornithology of the Feroe Isles, giving the dates
when the different species were observed, together with the
state of the weather at the time. Notes on ninety-three
species are given, of which perhaps the most interesting is
that on the occurrence of the Song-Thrush (Turdus musicus)
for the first time in the Feroes, late in February 1901.
42. © The Avicultural Magazine.’
[The Avicultural Magazine. The Journal of the Avicultural Society.
_New Series. Vol. i. Nos. 1-4. Nov. 1902-Feb. 1903. (Cf. Ibis, 1903,
p. 116.)}
In these parts of our contemporary the promise of former
numbers is well maintained, and among other matters of
interest may be mentioned the continuation of Mr. Bonhote’s
Field-notes on Bahama Birds, Mrs. Johnstone’s paper on
the nesting of the Satin Bower-bird in confinement, and
those of Mr. St. Quintin on Tragopans in captivity, and of
Mr. Martin on the construction of smali Aviaries. Articles
of varied character are provided to suit the tastes of all
Aviculturists, who will join with us in congratulating the
Recently published Ornithological Works. 249
editor on the skill with which he has catered for the public
in general.
43. Burturlin on the Waders of the Russian Empire.
|Kuliki Rossieskoi Imperie—Premiya-k-Journal ‘ Psovaia i Rujeinaia
Ohota.’ Tula, 1902. |
This, the first part of a work on the Limicole found within
the Russian empire, issued in the form of a prize essay
published in Tula in the ‘ Journal of the Society for Hunting
and Shooting,’ shews very careful preparation, and gives the
synonymy, with references to the most important works
on the subject, the geographical distribution, the habits, and
dates of appearance and departure of the species which visit
or are resident within the limits of the Russian empire.
M. Burturlin (p. 54) separates the Snipe inhabiting EKastern
Siberia subspecifically from Gallinago celestis under the
name Scolopax (Gallinago) gallinago raddei, because it has
the light stripes on the upper parts wider than in Gallinago
celestis, and states that it does not breed further west than
the Yenesei River, while it winters in Southern China and
Indo-China. He asserts that the tails figured by Seebohm
as those of Gallinago megala and Gallinago stenura are both
referable to Gallinago megala.
The letterpress includes only the species belonging to the
genera Scolopax aud Gallinago, but eleven good plates are
given of the following :—Scolopax rusticola, Gallinago gall-
nula, G. major, G. solitaria, G. calestis, Limicola platy-
rhyncha, Tringa maritima, T. alpina, T. temmincki, T. minuta,
and 7. ruficollis.
44. Buaton’s African Trips.
[Two African Trips, with Notes and Suggestions on Big Game
Preservation in Africa. By Edward North Buxton. London: Stanford,
1902,]
As in the case of his other “short stalks,’ Mr. Buxton
went to British East Africa and the White Nile mainly in
search of big game, but by no means confined his attention
to such objects. Plenty of allusions to birds may be found
250 Recently published Ornithological Works.
throughout his recent volume, and many of the excellent
“* photogravures’”’ are devoted to scenes of bird-life. On the
White Nile especially birds were most carefully studied and
photographed. The “ teeming bird-life” is designated as the
““yeal charm of the voyage,” and described as follows :—
“Owing to the heading back of the water of the White
Nile by the tremendous floods of the Blue Nile, there are,
during the season of low-water, wide stretches of bare mud
on the foreshore and low-lying banks. These muds con-
stitute the feeding-grounds of vast flocks of Waders and
aquatic birds. The river opposite Omdurman was haunted
by numbers of Gulls and Terns, unusual birds to find fifteen
hundred miles from the sea, but whether they migrate hither
or are bred in the marshes I do not know. By the time
we tied up for the night we had only made ten miles, but in
that short space we had seen huge flocks of Storks, Geese,
grey Demoiselle Cranes, coal-black and snow-white Ibises,
Spoonbills, Black-headed Gulls, Pelicans, Wood-Ibises,
Avocets, Spur-winged Geese, Teal, and Ruddy Sheldrakes.
The long lines of the last-named sitting at the edge of the
water made a brilliant piece of colour in the setting sun.
Some of the Storks and Ibises have the habit of spreading
their wings to the sun ; and when a row of them maintains
this rigid attitude, they have the appearance of ladies holding
up their skirts with both hands. ‘Towards evening many of
these birds shifted thetr ground and passed us on the wing
with a great clatter. The next morning we added to the list
of birds observed the Sacred Ibis, which has a white body
with black head and neck. It was no doubt the striking
appearance of this bird which attracted the ancient Egyptians,
who domesticated it and mummied it after death. I think
that it is now extinct or a rare visitor in Lower Kegypt.
An old friend, the Golden-crested Crane, was present, but in
small numbers. I got out my long-range camera, from which
I hoped great things, but a steady foundation is essential to
that instrument, and I soon found that the vibration of the
engine made a well-defined picture impossible. The pictures
here given were really taken at a later stage.”
Recently published Ornithological Works. 251
Another passage about the bird-life of the White Nile
reads as follows :—
“The lagoons were thronged with Storks, Herons, [bises,
Cranes, and other Waders of many kinds. While mobs of
Teal were wheeling in the air, Geese, Sheldrakes, Terns, and
ponderous Pelicans occupied the open water. ‘The scene
was most lively in the evening. The air then became full of
the whistling of wings, and the varied conversation—piping,
wailing, croaking—which goes on at feeding-time, as well as
of those strange ventriloquising notes, the origin of which is
so hard to trace, but which I was inclined to attribute in
this case to Night-Herons. The Pelicans were the latest to
arrive, and the most dignified and silent. They spend their
dlays on the river, and, like the Terns, only come in to rest.
Their fliight—a series of stately curves—is a splendid sight.
‘The Spoonbills seemed to fish the most zealously, pushing
their broad beaks in front of them in the shallow water, like
children with shrimp-nets on Cromer sands. Ever and anon
the resonant shout of the Fish-Eagles, a pair of which were
generally to be seen resting on some thorn-tree or dead snag,
rang out over the waste like the call of the muezzin to
prayer, while the other sounds reminded one of the stir in a
Mohammedan city which follows the sunset in the month of
Ramadan.”
45. Clarke on the Migration of Birds.
| Bird Migration in Great Britain and Ireland. Fifth Interim Report
of the Committee, consisting of Professor Newton (Chairman), Rev. E.
P. Knubley (Secretary), Mr. John A. Harvie-Brown, Mr. R. M. Bar-
rington, Mr. A. H. Evans, and Dr. H. O. Forbes, appointed to work out
the details of the Observations of Migration of Birds at Lighthouses and
Light-ships, 1880-1887. |
Mr. W. E. Clarke here gives us a further instalment of
his work connected with the Migration of Birds, work which
he has carried out so well that we can only regret the
possibility, through want of adequate support, of his being
obliged to bring his undertaking to a premature conclusion.
The subjects chosen for the present Report are the Fieldfare
and the Lapwing; of the former the migrations prove to be
252 Recently published Ornithological Works.
comparatively simple, while those of the latter are much
affected by meteorological conditions.
46. Dresser’s ‘ Manual of Palearctic Birds?
[A Manual of Palearctic Birds. By H. E. Dresser, F.L.S., F.Z.8., &c.
Part I. pp. 1-498. 8vo. London, 1902. Published by the Author at
3 Hanover Square, W. . Price 12s. 6d. net, thin paper copies 15s. net. |
The first portion of Mr. Dresser’s long-expected Manual
of the birds of the Palearctic Region has now been issued,
and the second portion, completing the work, is promised
for June next. The second half will contain, besides the
remainder of the text, the Preface, Introduction, and Index,
together with a map of the Palearctic area and a frontis-
piece taken from a drawing by Joseph Wolf. The present
part commences with the Passeres, and treats of 609 species
of that “predominant” group, after which follow the Pi-
carians and Owls, making altogether 709 species. As there
are 498 pages in the volume, the space allotted to each
is rather more than two-thirds of a page, shewing that the
condensation of information required in a work of this
character has been well carried out.
After the English and scientific names adopted for each
species, a selection of the principal references is given, the
vernacular names in different languages are shortly stated,
and a condensed description is added. Next the habitat
is concisely given, followed by general remarks, in the course
of which the breeding-habits, nest, and eggs, it known, are
_always mentioned.
Mr. Dresser is quite conservative in his nomenclature,
very few deviations bemg made from the names ordinarily
used by British naturalists. ‘ Subspecies ”’ are occasionally
allowed, but they are quite the exception. ‘The print of
the book is good and clear, and the names of the genera
are used as “running titles,’ which gives great facility for
reference. Altogether we are much pleased with the
“ Palearctic Manual,” which will certainly be greatly ap-
preciated by all ornithologists and acquire an extensive
circulation.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 253
47. Finn on Hybrids of the Guinea-fowl.
[On Hybrids between the Guinea-fowl and Common Fowl. By F.
Finn, B.A., F.Z.S. J.A.S. B, lxxi. pt. ii. pp. 91, 92, pl. vi., 1902.]
The author describes, with a figure, three hybrids caught
in the wild state and sent to the Calcutta Zoological
Gardens.
48. Finn on Variation in Birds.
[General Notes on Variation in Birds. By F. Finn, B.A., F.ZS.
J. A. S. B. Ixxi. pt. ii. pp. 154-184, pls. viii., ix. 1902.)
This paper treats of (1) Striking cases of Variation
in structural characters, (2) Colour Variation in Wild
Birds, (3) Reversion to normal colour in abnormal varieties,
(4) Variation in relation of immature to adult plumage,
(5) Variation in prepotency, (6) Progressive Variation, (7)
Variation directly induced by confinement, (8) Pathological
Variation, (9) Spontaneous Variation under domestication,
(10) Moral Variability, (11) Variation in mental powers,
(12) Variation in taste, (13) Variation in habits. The
author concludes that domestication does not directly induce
variation, but gives varieties a better chance of surviving ;
that climate does not directly induce it, but may weed out
colours correlated to unsuitable constitutions.
49. Grinnell on Californian Birds.
| Pacific Coast Avifauna,—No. 3. Check-list of Californian Birds. By
Joseph Grinnell. Cooper Ornithological Club of California. Santa Clara,
June 1902. Roy. 8vo. 98 pp.]
This list of 491 species—with an appendix containing 33
that are doubtful—has evidently been composed with great
care, both as regards the identification of specimens and
their provisional assignment to proper areas. To each
specific name is added a synonymy referring only to Cali-
fornian literature, and a paragraph on the status (including
range, comparative abundance, and season of occurrence).
The nomenclature of the A, O. U. Check-list is not in-
variably adopted, but reference numbers to it are given in
254 Recently published Ornithological Works.
brackets. Two maps shew by means of different colours
the “ Life Zones,” or areas of uniform temperature, and the
“ Waunal Areas,” or regions of uniform humidity. The work
will be found most useful by those interested in Californian
ornithology.
50. Hartert on Birds from Pahang.
[On Birds from Pahang, Eastern Malay Peninsula. By Ernst Hartert.
Nov. Zool. ix. p. 537.]
The native Malayan State of Pahang contains on its
northern border an enormous mountain, Mt. Tahan, said to
be upwards of 10,000 feet high, which Mr. Waterstradt, who
made the collection now described, was the first European
to explore. Species from the lowlands are included in the
paper, and altogether 196 are enumerated. ‘The general
similarity of the avifauna to that of Sumatra “is very
striking.”
The occurrence of the remarkable Phasianine genus
Rheinardtius 1 the Malay Peninsula is a new and most
interesting fact. Mr. Rothschild has described the form as
a new subspecies—R. ocellatus nigrescens (Bull. B.O. C. xii.
p- 55).
Mr. Hartert also describes as new :—Jole holti binghami
(from the Shan States of Burmah), Pyecnonotus prillwitzi
(from Java), Turdinulus humu (from Mt. Tahan), Siva strigula
malayana (from Mt. Tahan), Suya waterstradti (from Mt.
Tahan), Cittocincla macrura omissa (from Java), Pteruthius
- tahanensis (from Mt. Tahan), Ploceus passerinus infortunatus
(from the Malay Peninsula), and Dissemurus paradiseus
johni (from Hainan). But by far the most remarkable dis-
covery made on Gunong Tahan was the Bullfinch Pyrrhula
waterstradti (Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 69), procured at a height
of from 5000 to 7000 feet. This intruding Palearctic genus
was, however, known to occur in the highlands of Luzon
(P. leucogenys).
Recently published Ornithological Works. 255
51. Hartert on Birds from Ecuador.
[Some further Notes on the Birds of North-west Hcuador. By Ernst
Hartert, Nov. Zool. ix, p. 599, |
Mr. Hartert continues his notes on the birds obtained by
Mr. F. W. Rosenberg’s correspondents in North-west Ecuador,
which appears to be a very interesting district. The
following species and subspecies are new :—ZJ/itrephanes
berlepschi, Rhynchocyclus megacephalus flavotectus, Aulia
tertia, Lathria unirufa castaneotincta, and Hylophilus bulu-
nensis. A new genus of Tyrannide (Craspedoprion) is
proposed for Rhynchocyclus equinoctialis and some allied
species with the outer web of the external remex pectinated.
The splendid new Pittasoma rufopileatum (Noy. Zool. viii.
p- 370) is figured.
52: Hartert on Birds from British East Africa.
{On the Birds collected by William Doherty in the Kikuyu Mountains,
near Hscarpment Station, British East Africa. By Ernst Hartert.
Nov. Zool. xii. p. 620. ]
The author here commences the discussion of a large
collection of 3000 specimens made by the late William
Doherty when encamped in the “ Jumper” forest*, about
half a mile from Escarpment Station on the Uganda Railway,
between September 1900 and April 1901. The spot is on
the eastern side of the “ Great Rift Valley,” or “ Eurycolpic
Fold” (as we are now told that it ought to be called), some
8000 feet above the sea-level.
Mr. Hartert begins with the Laniidz, of which 12 species
are represented in the collection. The beautiful new Chloro-
phoneus dohertyi (Rothsch. Bull. B.O. C. xi. p. 52) is
figured. If the so-called Malaconotus blanchoti (p. 623)
“agrees perfectly with South-African specimens,” its correct
* This magnificent tree is believed to be Juniperus procera (see Kew
Bull. 1899, p. 197), which was discovered by Schimper in Abyssinia, and
was likewise found by Mr. Lort Phillips in Somaliland. But there are
no specimens of it from British East Africa in the British Museum or the
Kew Herbarium.
256 Recently published Ornithological Works.
name should be M. starki. See Sclater fil. Ibis, 1901, p. 152,
and id. B. S. Afr. 11. p. 41.
53. Job on Waterfowl.
[Among the Waterfowl: Observation, Adventure, Photography. A
Popular Narrative Account of the Waterfowl as found in the Northern
and Middle States of Lower Canada, Kast of the Rocky Mountains. By
Herbert K. Job. 8vo. New York: Doubleday, Page, & Co. 1902.
Pp. xxi, 224. Price 6s. 6d.]
In this book Mr. Job gives an interesting account of his
observations on birds in the above-mentioned districts, and
furnishes a large quantity of information with regard to the
breeding of North-American Waterfowl, which may well
be unfamiliar to, or not readily obtainable by, English
ornithologists. Grebes and Divers, Rock-birds, Petrels, Terns,
Ducks, and Geese are successively brought before us ; while
instances of unusual habits, such as the breeding of the
American Herring-Gull on trees and the covering with earth
of the eggs of the White-winged Scoter, are especially dwelt
upon. ‘The reproductions of photographs are, moreover,
well chosen and distinct.
54. Jourdain on the Birds of Derbyshire.
[The Ornithology of Derbyshire. A Retrospect. By the Rev. Francis
©. R. Jourdain, M.A. Reprinted from the Derbyshire Archeol. & Nat.
Hist. Soc. Journ. 1901. 5 pp.}
An interesting paper on the birds of the county, with
regard to their increase or decrease.
05. Lord Lilford on birds.
[Lord Lilford on Birds, being a Collection of informal and unpublished
writings by the late President of the British Ornithologists’ Union, with
contributed Papers upon Falconry and Otter-Hunting, his favourite
Sports. Edited by Aubyn Trevor-Battye and illustrated by Archibald
Thorburn. London, 1903. Pp. i-xviii, 1-312. Price 16s. net. |
It is impossible to take up a book by the late President of
our Union without a feeling of renewed regret at the great
loss experienced by our Society at his death, while those who
Recently published Ornithological Works. 257
had the privilege of his acquaintance, or were familiar with
his formerly published writings, will feel confident of meeting
with what will interest and instruct them in his pages.
Lord Lilford himself never posed as one of the great
ornithological authorities of his day, and as such we should
not therefore attempt to portray him ; but for genuine and
careful work on the subjects which he took in hand he had
hardly an equal, while as a kindly and judicious supporter of
those who took a real interest in birds he will always be
exceptionally difficult to replace.
Of his character as a true gentleman the letters now pub-
lished give evidence on almost every page, of his position as
a noted naturalist and ardent sportsman they are equally
convincing, while the simple and graceful style in which he
dilates upon items of local information, matters connected
with his aviaries, or facts gleaned upon his journeys, may
well make us forget how large a portion of his life was
passed under conditions which would hinder most of us from
serious work. In editing these letters, Mr. Trevor-Battye
has very wisely omitted only those paragraphs which deal
with purely personal matters or incidents of merely local
interest, and has included all that deal with natural history ;
while he has himself furnished a short account of otter-
hunting and has induced the Rev. G. E. Freeman to con-
tribute a description of falconry.
The letters are grouped in chapters according to the
subjects ; and while all will be found of interest, perhaps the
greatest importance for ornithologists attaches to the Notes
from Mediterranean Journals—on which the papers in ‘ The
Ibis’ (1875-1887) were tounded—and to the portions of the
work concerned with the well-known Lilford ponds and
aviaries, where so many rare birds lived and bred. Our
late President’s life, his home, and his works (with their illus-
trations) are all fully treated, while the pages are enriched
by thirteen plates by Mr. A. Thorburn, including a portrait
of Lord Lilford, and many studies from life of birds in
the collection.
SER. VIII.— VOL. III. S
258 Recently published Ornithological Works.
56. Mudge on the Tongue of Parrots.
[On the Myology of the Tongue of Parrots, with a Classification of the
Order, based upon the Structure of the Tongue. By G. P. Mudge,
A.R.C.S., F.Z.S. Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. vol. xvi. pt. 5, pp. 211-278,
pls. xxvi.-xxix. |
After a short account of previous memoirs upon the
anatomy of Parrots, which embrace but few observations upon
the tongue-muscles, Mr. Mudge proceeds to give in detail the
structure of the hyoid muscles in a large number of species,
which are elaborately illustrated in the plates and in 16
woodcuts interspersed through the text. It is, of course,
impossible to give here an adequate abstract of the many new
facts which the paper contains. The classificatory results,
however, based upon the “lingual myology and osteology,”
will be of wide interest. Mr. Mudge divides the “group”
into three families—(1) Loriidz, containing Lorius, Eos,
and Vint; (2) Nestoride, containing only Nestor; and
(3) Psittacidee, containing all the remaining genera.
57. Ogilvie-Grant on Shrikes.
[A Review of the Species of Shrikes of the Genus Lantus. By W. R.
Ogilvie-Grant. Nov. Zool. ix. p. 449. |
The species of the difficult genus Lanius (in its wide sense,
z.e. including Fiscus, Enneoctonus, &c.) are now reviewed
preparatory to the publication of a new edition of the eighth
volume of the B. M. Catalogue, upon which the author is
engaged. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant recognises no less than 57
species of the genus, with a few ‘‘ subspecies.” We are
~ pleased to observe that all the Shrikes in the British List
retain their well-known titles in Mr. Grant’s nomenclature.
Lanius major, L. excubitor, L. homeyeri, and L. leucopterus
are allowed full rank as species, though it is admitted that
‘they all grade into one another.”
58. Pease’s ‘ Travel and Sport in Africa’
[Travel and Sport in Africa. By A. E, Pease. 3 vols. 4to. London,
1902. Price £10 10s. |
Mr. Alfred Pease’s account of his sport and adventures
Recently published Ornithological Works. 259
in Algeria, Somaliland, and Abyssinia is one of the most
sumptuously printed and illustrated works that we have ever
seen. Thethree volumes are full of text-figures and coloured
sketches, and contain a mass of information on every possible
subject relating to the countries which the author has
traversed, while descending, in many cases, to the most
minute particulars. We wish that we could find time to
read all these luxurious pages, for many of the stories are
of a most amusing character—but life is too short!
Mr. Pease naturally devotes himself specially to “ Big
Game,” but feathered fowls are occasionally mentioned, and
the lists of birds necessitate a record of the work in the pages
of ‘ The Ibis.’
In the first volume is a “ List of the Birds of Algeria and
Tunis,” by W. R. Ogilvie-Grant. This contains the names
of 887 species, in English and Latin, with references to the
leading authorities on each of them, as indicated by initials.
In the third volume, which relates to Somaliland and
Abyssinia, is a similar list of the birds of those countries by
the same author, the limits assigned being “ between 5° and
18° N. lat. and east of 37° E. long.” It contains the names
of no less than 687 species, with the authorities for their
occurrence within the area indicated by initials, which refer
to a list of the chief works on the subject. The names of
the species of which examples were obtained by Mr. Pease
(who was accompanied by Mr. L. C. Harwood as collector)
‘are marked with an asterisk. The collection made on the
last journey, which included 800 excellent skins, has been
already fully described in this journal (see ‘Ibis,’ 1901,
pp. 607-699).
59. Peel on Zoological Gardens.
[The Zoological Gardens of Europe, their History and chief Features.
By C. V. A. Peel, F.Z.S. London, 1903. Price 10s. net. ]
This useful book, on quite a new subject, gives us an
account of the principal zoological gardens of Europe, based
on information collected during a tour round them made by
$2
260 Recently published Ornithological Works.
the author in the early part of last year. Thirty-seven
gardens in all were visited, in France, Holland, Denmark,
Belgium, Germany, Russia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland,
and the British Islands, and a more or less detailed account
is given of each, enriched by photographic illustrations.
There are a good many slips and misprints in the letter-
press, but Mr. Peel has produced a very readable volume,
which we are sure will be much appreciated. The Zoological
Garden of Berlin is, no doubt correctly, pronounced to be
the best on the Continent, although there must be some
error in the statement on p. 106 that it contains “‘ 25,000
living creatures,” representing 12,000 mammals and birds.
Whether it is “well ahead of our London Garden ” is
perhaps, a matter of opinion.
In a second edition we hope that the author will correct
numerous misprints in the scientific names of the animals and
other mistakes. He should also extend the sphere of his
observations, and visit the gardens in the United States,
at New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, not to mention
those at Cairo, Pretoria, and Calcutta.
sw)
60. Preble on the Biology of Hudson Bay.
[A Biological Investigation of the Hudson Bay Region. By Edward
A. Preble. North-American Fauna, No. 22. 8vo. Washington, 1902.
140 pp., 14 pls., 1 map. |
Since the days of the early pioneers, who sent many speci-
mens for determination to Britain, smgularly little advance
has been made in our knowledge of the fauna of Hudson
Bay, and the U.S. biologists have consequently found con-
siderable difficulty in determining the status of many species
through want of sufficient material for comparison. The
outcome has been an expedition sent by the Biological
Survey to the western shores of the Bay in 1900, in charge
of Mr. E. A. Preble, who furnishes a very full account of
the districts traversed, with details of the “‘ life zones” and
botany, while he has not forgotten to sketch the work of
previous explorers and to add a bibliography. The Report
confines itself almost entirely to the province of Keewatin, in
Recently published Ornithological Works. 261
Canada, and provides annotated lists of the mammals, birds,
and batrachians. No new species of birds were discovered.
61. Reichenow’s Report on the Progress of Ornithology.
[ Bericht iiber die Leistungen in der Naturgeschichte der Végel wahrend
des Jahres 1894. Von Ant. Reichenow. Arch. f. Nat. 61t Jahrg.
2'¢ Band, “ Berlin, 1895” (published Dec. 1902). |
We do not doubt the excellence of Dr. Reichenow’s report
on the progress of the Science of Ornithology for the year
1894, nor the care with which it has been prepared. But
we must say that its value is rendered almost nugatory by
its being withheld from publication till December 1902.
Events move fast now-a-days, even in ornithology, and a
report on what has occurred in 1894, published eight years
afterwards, is almost useless. We have been informed,
however, that the fault of this long delay lies with the pub-
lishers and not with the author, consequently we have only
to offer our sympathies to Dr. Reichenow on the bad treat-
ment that his good work has met with.
62. Ridgway on the Birds of North and Middle America.
[The Birds of North and Middle America. By Robert Ridgway.
Part II. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 50, pt. 2 (1902).]
We have already noticed the first volume of this important
work (see ‘Ibis,’ 1902, p.515), and are glad to find the
second volume succeeding it so rapidly. While the first
was entirely occupied by Mr. Ridgway’s account of the
numerous Fringillide of North and Middle America, four
families of nine-primaried Oscines are treated in the present
instalment, namely, Tanagride, Icteride, Coerebide, and
Mniotiltide. These families are entirely restricted to the
Neogean Ornis, having no single representative in the
Old World. We wrote somewhat freely of Mr. Ridgway’s
novel style of treatment of his subject in our former notice,
and will not repeat our remarks, except to say that in the
present volume also subspecies are excessively numerous,
and are placed, apparently, on the same level as species.
Of Tanagride 112 species and subspecies are recognised as
262 Recently published Ornithological Works.
coming within the limits of the work, of Icteride 111, of
Ceerebide 29, and of Mniotiltide 181, so that the volume
contains an account of 433 species and subspecies in all.
The general plan of this volume is exactly the same as
that of the first; while the synonymy, descriptions of sexes
and their plumages, and full list of localities appended to
each species and subspecies, bear unfailing testimony to the
author’s wonderful industry in compiling it.
The third part cf Mr. Ridgway’s great work, we are
informed in the Preface, is ‘‘ well under way,” and is by this
time probably nearly ready for issue. It will continue the
account of the Oscines. The whole work will occupy some
eight volumes, which will appear at the rate of about two
a year.
63. Rothschild and Hartert on Birds from the Solomon
Islands.
[List of a Collection of Birds made on Ysabel Island, in the Solomon
Group, by Mr. A. 8S. Meek. Nov. Zool. xii. p. 581.]
The authors continue their account of Mr. Meek’s
collections in the Solomon group, this being their third
contribution on the subject. In the present paper 58 species
from Ysabel Island are enumerated, amongst which Edolio-
soma erythropygium saturatius, Cacomantis meeki, Ceyx meeki,
and Astur rufo-schistaceus are described as new. Nasiterna
tristramit from Kulambangra is also described as new.
Other good novelties of this series (Pitta anerythra, Po-
_dargus inexpectatus, and Pseudoptynx salomonensis) have
been already characterized in the ‘ Bulletin’ of the B. O. C.
Pitta anerythra and Ceyx meeki are figured.
64. Seebohm and Sharpe’s ‘ Monograph of the Thrushes.
[A Monograph of the Turdid, or Family of Thrushes. By the late
Henry Sesbohm. Edited and completed (after the Author’s death) by
R. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D., F.L.S., &c. Parts XJI., XIII. Imperial 4to.
London: Henry Sotheran & Co., 1902. Price £3 3s.]
We have now before us the concluding double-number of
Recently published Ornithological Works. 263
Seebohm’s ‘ Monograph of the Thrushes,’ of which the first
part was published in 1898. Dr. Sharpe, in his Preface,
clearly explains the reason of the delay in its completion, and
we cannot but sympathize with him in the difficult task that
he has had to perform. Seebohm, it is well known, was very
familiar with this group of birds, which was one of his
special favourites. A large series of plates were prepared
by Mr. Keulemans for the projected work, but other occu-
pations and bad health prevented the author from attending to
the letterpress, and Dr. Sharpe has consequently been called
upon to write or rewrite the greater portion of the book. We
are, however, sure that ornithologists will be well satisfied
with the way in which he has accomplished this hard piece
of work, for the result is that we have all the available
information upon this beautiful group of birds collected
together in one book, and most splendidly illustrated by
Keulemans’ pencil. Even the most recent additions to our
knowledge of the subject are contained in the Appendix.
The Monograph now completed makes two handsome
volumes containing 149 coloured plates. Seebohm’s division
of the Thrushes into Geocichla, Turdus, Merula, and Mimo-
cichia is adhered to, but personally we should be inclined to
amalgamate the first three genera.
The following species are figured in the present parts :—
Merula subalaris. | Merula atrigularis.
hortulorum. | naumanni.
protomomeleena. ruficollis,
—— celeenops. eunomus.
—— chrysolaus. | Mimocichla rubripes.
——— erythropleura. plumbea.
—- obscura. ardesiaca,
pallida.
65. Westell on the young Cuckoo.
[The Karly Life of the young Cuckoo. By W. Percival Westell.
8vo. London, 1902. 26 pp. Price 1s.]
Mr. Westell gives a useful résumé of the life-history of the
264. Recently published Ornithological Works.
Cuckoo, but the main object of his pamphlet is, no doubt,
to reproduce four admirable photographs, which he tells us
were taken from nature by Mr. J. P. Millar, at the instigation
of Mr. John Craig, who was carrying out a series of inves-
tigations upon the subject. Of these, three shew the nestling
Cuckoo ejecting a young bird or an egg from the nest, while
the fourth exhibits the intruder living in harmony, at an age
of about eleven days, with a young Meadow-Pipit.
66. Zittel’s ‘ Paleontology, vol. u.
| Text-book of Paleontology. By Karl A. von Zittel. English edition,
translated and edited by Charles E. Eastman, Ph.D. Vol. II. London:
Macmillan. }
The recently issued second volume of the English trans-
lation of Zittel’s ‘Text-book of Palzontology’ contains the
part relating to Aves, which has been revised, and to a great
extent rewritten, by Mr. F. A. Lucas, of the U.S. National
Museum at Washington. It must be carefully studied by
all who are interested in fossil birds. The classification
employed is practically that of Stejneger’s ‘Standard Natural
History.’
We extract a very salient passage from the intro-
duction :—
“The difficulties attending the classification of birds are
at once their great general similarity of structure and their
numerous adaptive modifications, sometimes slight, some-
times so great as to obscure characters of real value. There
are, besides, a certain number of aberrant forms, the exact
position of which is a matter of uncertainty, and others in
which there are departures more or less pronounced from
the general structure of the group in which they should
obviously be placed. For it must be constantly borne in
mind that in paleornithology we are not dealing with the
entire Class of birds, but only with a certain portion of it,
since the number of known fossil birds is very small, and it
is consequently impossible to trace the lines of descent of
existing species ; we do not even have broken lines to guide
us, but merely isolated dots to indicate their probable
Letters, Extracis, Notices, &c. 265
existence. For the proportion of fossil to existing birds is
small indeed, about 500 extinct to 12,000 living species, and
most of these are from the Miocene or later horizons ; they
are easily referable to existing families, and often to existing
genera, so that they throw little light on the phylogeny of
modern birds.”
XXV.—Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
We have received the following letters addressed to “ The
Editors ” :—
Sirs,—Referring to your remarks (‘ Ibis,’ 1902, p. 674)
on the dead birds seen by Mr. R. W. Llewellyn at the
Casquets Lighthouse on May 15th, I venture to suggest
that they were possibly Common Redstarts (Ruticilla
phenicurus), the males of which are brightly coloured on
the breast.
In Ireland, at any rate, few if any Robins are migrating
in May, whereas the end of April or beginning of May is
the usual date for Redstarts to arrive. I agree with you
that the birds are very unlikely to have been Red-breasted
Flycatchers (Muscicapa parva).
Yours &c.,
Ricuarp M. Barrineron.
Fassaroe, Bray,
Co. Wicklow.
Srrs,—In reference to my remarks on the Albatrosses
(see above, p. 81), I wish to add that Dr. Davidson, of ss.
‘Morning,’ has just brought to the Museum two specimens
of a Mollymawk from the Indian Ocean, which I take to be
the true Diomedea culminata. They are certainly distinct
from Diomedea bulleri of the Snares, and therefore the
latter remains a good species. The difference between
D. bulleri and D. culminata is in the culmicorn, which is
more expanded posteriorly in D. budieri than in D. culminata.
If D. dulleri had been put into the genus Thalassogeron, and
266 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
the difference between it and D. culminata pointed out, there
would have been no difficulty in the matter. D. bulleri is
certainly congeneric with D. salvini. Neither of them is
such a typical Thalassogeron as D. culminata or D. chloro-
rhyncha, but they cannot be separated generically.
It is Diomedea bulleri which breeds on the Snares, not
D. culminata. D. chlororhyncha and D. culminata are both
found occasionally in our seas, but I do not know that they
breed here. Dr. Filhol says that D. chlororhyncha breeds at
Campbell Island; but he probably did not distinguish the
species accurately. I saw none when I was there in January
1901—only D. melanophrys, wiich was extremely abundant,
and a few D. bulleri or D. culminata.
Yours &ce.,
F. W. Hurton.
Christchurch, Dec. 1st, 1902.
Srrs,—In discussing the respective claims to priority of the
names Chlorochrysa hedwige Berl. &Stolzm. and Chlorochrysa
fulgentissima Chapm., Graf v. Berlepsch raises an important
point in regard to what constitutes effective publication,
which, so far as the medium in question is concerned, can, I
think, be satisfactorily answered. This, the ‘ Bulletin’ of
the American Museum of Natural History, is not, as Graf v.
Berlepsch terms it, a “ periodical,” but each annual volume
is composed of a series of papers published at irregular
intervals.
As stated in the ‘ Bulletin,’ 350 separate copies of each
paper are printed, ‘‘of which 100 are for the authors and
250 copies for the Library exchange list and for sale.”
These copies may be purchased from the Museum, or
through its official agents in New York, London, Paris, and
Berlin. Subscribers to the ‘ Bulletin,’ or those who receive
it in exchange, may have the papers it contains sent to them
as issued, or as a bound volume at the end of the year, as
they elect.
In addition to the copies of each paper distributed and
placed on sale by the Museum, the author distributes a
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 267
number of complimentary copies ; but I wholly agree with
Graf vy. Berlepsch that such distribution would not of itself
constitute a valid publication. Since, however, the ‘ Bulletin ’
and ‘Memoirs’ of the Museum can be purchased when they
appear through recognised and stated channels of trade, as
weil as from the Museum itself, it is evident that in their
issuance all the requirements of commercial publication are
complied with.
Yours &c.,
Frank M. CHapMan.
American Museum of Natural History,
New York City, Feb. 25, 1903.
Sirs,—With no desire to enter the three-cornered duel
in which Messrs. Allen, Grant, and Nelson have so pleasantly,
entertainingly, and instructively engaged, Mr. Grant’s side-
shot at the writer in your issue for January 1903 (p. 109)
provokes, if, indeed, it does not compel, a reply.
In brief, I am charged with having described a subspecies
of Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus peninsularis) from “ only
one female specimen in autumn plumage”! Surely no
tribunal of systematic ornithologists would deny that this
is a casus belli! One might almost as well be accused of
giving an opinion on a geographical race of which he had
never seen a specimen !
However, if Mr. Grant will do me the favour to turn
to the reference which he quotes from the American Museum
‘Bulletin’ (vol. xvi. p. 236), he will find the following words
appended to the description of the Ptarmigan in question :
“Of this new form the collection contains the following 26
specimens, all from the Kenai Mts.”
Trusting that the difference between one and twenty-six
is sufficient to warrant this correction,
I am yours &c.,
Frank M. CuapMan.
American Museum of Natural History,
New York City, Feb. 25, 1903.
268 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
The Australasian Ornithologists’ Union.—From the ‘ Emu’
of January we learn that the annual meeting of the “Aus-
tralasian Ornithologists’ Union,’ held at Melbourne in
November last, was in every way successful. The President,
Col. Legge, was unfortunately not able to be present, but
sent an excellent address, which contains much information
and good advice. In his absence one of the Vice-Presidents,
Mr. A. H.C. Zietz, took the chair. Besides the Council’s
report, several “lecturettes” were read, illustrated by a
“splendid series of photographs.” The second day of the
meeting was devoted mainly to the Zoological Gardens, and
the third to the examination of the National Museum. After
the meeting was over, a week’s “ camp-out excursion ” of the
members and their friends to the “ Mutton-bird Rookeries ”
on Philip Island took place, and passed off most satisfactorily.
Report of the Society for the Protection of Birds.—The
Annual Meeting of the Society for the Protection of Birds,
the aims and objects of which we all approve, though we may
doubt the advisability of some of the methods by which it
is proposed to carry them out, was held at the Westminster
Palace Hotel on Feb. 10th, and seems to have passed off
most successfully. The Report of the Council rightly
specified two of the measures that the Society had recently
taken up, in order to carry out their views, as being of
noteworthy importance—namely, the passing by Parliament
of a new Act whereby birds illegally obtained might be
- declared to be forfeited, and the promuigation in India of
an ordinance which prohibits the exportation of the skins
and feathers of all birds except Ostriches and specimens
required for scientific purposes. With the efforts of the
Society to stop women from using entire birds or their
feathers as “‘ornaments” for their hats, we have every
sympathy, and with four duchesses at their head it will be
hard if the Council cannot produce some effect on muilliners
in this matter. At the same time it must be confessed that
the progress as yet made in checking this very objectionable
fashion is rather slow.
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 269
Besides mentioning with approbation the ‘ Audubon
Society’ in the United States, the Report calls attention
to the existence of sister societies with similar objects in
South Australia and Central Queensland, so that the good
work is progressing in our colonies as well as in America.
A nice series of “leaflets ” issued hy the Society (edited
by Mr. Dresser) contains excellent contributions from several
leading ornithologists.
Ornithologists at work abroadi—Mr. W. G. Docerrr wrote
from Entebbe (Nov. 5, 1902) that he was then preparing to
start for the southern frontier of Uganda to take up his
post as naturalist to the Anglo-German Boundary Com-
mission under Major Delmé Radcliffe. The expedition will
start from the shores of Lake Victoria at lat. 1° S., and
will define the boundary between Uganda and German East
Africa as far west as the Semliki River. In the Semliki
forest Mr. Doggett hopes to be able to obtain, besides a good
series of its birds, fresh specimens of Okapia johnstoni,
which are much required in Europe.
Mr, Oaiivie-Granv left England on the 14th of February
for Madeira, whence he intends to proceed on an orni-
thological foray to the Azores. He hopes to pick up any
crumbs in the way of birds that may be left after Mr. God-
man’s researches in 1862, and to make investigations in
other departments of natural history.
We learn from the ‘Orn. Monatsberichte’ that Dr. Kénre
of Bonn has left on a third ornithological expedition to
Egypt, and was at Port Said on January 8rd. On this
occasion he proposes to start with his caravan from Wadi
Halfa, and to devote his attention to Dongola, returning
from Khartoum in May.
Our last letter from Mr. Micuart J. Nicoxz, naturalist
on board Lord Crawford’s steam-yacht ‘ Valhalla,’ R.Y.S.,
was posted at Monte Video on January 14th. Mr. Nicoll had
landed at St. Paul’s Rocks and Fernando Noronha and had
procured specimens at both places. At the latter island he
had obtained special leave to shoot from the governor, and
270 Obituary.
had secured examples of several land-birds. The ‘ Valhalla’
had not been able to go to South Trinidad, as originally
planned, and was proceeding south to the Straits of Magellan
and the Pacific.
From ‘Globus’ we learn that the well-known naturalists
Paut and Frivz Sarasin have undertaken a new expedition
for the further exploration of Celebes, and will send their
specimens of birds and mammals to the Dresden Museum.
We hear that the Tring Museum has lately received a
collection of birds from Hainan, the scene of Whitehead’s
explorations (‘ Ibis,’ 1900, p. 192). It has been formed by
three Japanese collectors, from whose labours Mr. Rothschild
expects results of considerable value.
Our enterprising correspondent, Mr. Roserr Hatt,
C.M.Z.S., of Melbourne, has left his home for Vladivostock,
and will pass the spring in Amoorland, where, in company
with two ornithological friends, he will observe and collect
the birds of North-eastern Siberia. In the summer he
proposes to proceed to London by the new Transasiatic
railway to greet his brother ornithologists before returning
to Australia.
XXVI.— Obituary.
Mr. T. E. Buckuery, Mr. A. A. Le Sovér, and Dr. C. Brere.
OrnitHoLocy loses a steadfast adherent, and many orni-
_thologists as steadfast a friend, by the death, on the 4th of
November, 1902, of Mr. Tuomas Epwarp Buckiey. Born
on the 38rd of April, 1846, at St. Thomas’s, Old Trafford,
near Manchester, of which parish his father (who came
from Saddleworth, in Lancashire) was rector, he was educated
at Rugby and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated
B.A. in 1869. Three years before this he had passed part of
the long vacation in Lapland, reaching Quickjock, whence
he brought back a considerable collection of ‘birds, and was
so smitten with the charms of Scandinavia that he revisited
the country in 1867 and 1868, though he never again
Obituary. 271
proceeded so far to the northward. After taking his degree he
was urged by his maternal relatives, the Akroyds, to go into
“business,” for which a favourable opportunity offered, but
he had already become devoted to an outdoor hfe, and pre-
ferred enjoying freedom on his own modest competence to
the confinement of a counting-house. Harly in 1869 he set
out with Captain Elwes for Greece and Turkey, where they
passed some three months, with results that were published
in these pages (‘ Ibis,’ 1870, pp. 59, 188, & 327). Later in
the same year he went to Scotland for the first time, and
soon after hired a shooting-place in Sutherland ; but this did
not hinder him from setting off in 1872 with Captain Shelley
to the Gold Coast, where they stayed two months collecting
birds and other zoological specimens (‘ Ibis,’ 1872, p. 281),
and the next year to Matabili-land, in company with Messrs.
Gilchrist and F. and W. Oates. To assist him in collecting
on this expedition, he received a grant from the Worts Fund
of the University of Cambridge, and brought back to its
Zoological Museum many valuable specimens; but the party
were unable to carry out the whole of their plan through the
failure of their draught-oxen. An account of the birds
obtained in the course of their journey was contributed by
him to our pages (‘ Ibis,’ 1875, p. 355). African zoology,
especially in the facilities it offered for sport, now took a
strong hold upon him, and a third expedition, this time to
Amaswazi-land, was undertaken by him in 1876, though he
had in the meanwhile married, and in 1888-89 a fourth to
Kilimanjaro—this last proving most disastrous, and being
brought abruptly to an end through his companion and very
dear friend, Mr. Guy Dawnay, being killed by a buffalo.
The last two expeditions, having large game for their chief
object, though Buckley was by no means a mere slaughterer,
were not ornithologically productive. The passion for sport
led him also to North America, which he visited three times,
on the last occasion (1893) going to the Rocky Mountains
in quest of wild sheep; but wherever he might be, he was
always a close observer of all animal life, and yet with a
modest mistrust of the value of his own powers. Some
272 Obituary.
persuasion was needed to get him to exhibit to the Zoological
Society on the 7th January, 1882, the marvellous series
of skins of Red Grouse (Lagopus scoticus) which he had
collected, almost all in one district, shewing an amount of
variation in the plumage of the cock-birds never before sus-
pected. But he will always be best remembered as joint
author with Mr. Harvie-Brown of the series of volumes on
the Vertebrate Fauna of the northern parts of the kingdom—
Sutherland and Caithness, the Inner and the Outer Hebrides,
Orkney and Shetland,—the volume on the latter group being
worked out with Mr. A. H. Evans as his coadjutor. Light-
hearted as a boy, vigorous and active, to all his friends
Buckley seemed likely to attain a good old age, but he never
regained his health after an attack of influenza in 1900,
while an affection which seized him in June 1902, acting on
impaired vitality, produced the fatal result of a few months
later.
Mr. A. A. Lx Sovér, well known as the Director of the
Zoological and Acclimatisation Society’s Gardens at Mel-
bourne, died on May 7th, 1902. He was born in England
in 1828, and emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1840.
He had an inborn taste for natural history, and, as Director
of the Zoologicai Gardens, had full opportunities for studying
animal life, of which he made good use. When Mr. Le Souéf
entered upon his duties they were slight, and it is to him
that Australia owes one of the most complete gardens of the
kind.
A third recent death is that of Dr. Cantos Bere, Director
of the Museum of Buenos Ayres. Berg was originally a
Russian subject, and about 1873 joined Burmeister at
Buenos Ayres, becoming Director of the National Museum
on his death in 1892. He is succeeded by the well-known
palzontologist, Dr. Ameghino.
PIE ED TS:
EIGHTH SERIES.
No. Xi JULY 1903
XX VII.—On a Collection of Birds from the Northern Islands
of the Bahama Group. By J. Lewis Bonnorn, M.A.,
F.Z8.
Tue following pages contain a list of birds collected in the
Bahamas during a trip taken for that purpose in the winter
of 1901-02.
Making Nassau our headquarters, we thence carried out
three distinct expeditions. First we went to Andros, the
largest and least explored of the islands; its eastern coast
extends in a long ridge some fifty or sixty feet above sea-
level, but towards the south and on the west the land rises
hardly anywhere above the sea, and is very deeply intersected
by broad lagoons. On the west coast there is none of the
rock so characteristic of the other islands, but the soil is a
soft white marl or mud, which partially hardens here and
there on the top. Except for a roving fleet of sponging-
vessels, this coast is quite uninhabited and hardly ever
visited by white people. Proceeding along it to a place
known as Wide Opening, we went in a small boat up
the creek, which at its head narrows and forms a deep
channel known as the River Lees. ‘This so-called river is
entirely salt and is about four miles long, cutting through
a fairly deep ridge and opening out inside it into a
SER, VIII.—VOL, ILL. T
274: Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
large shallow sheet of water, called Turner’s Sound, which
has another outlet to the sea. On the further side of
Turner’s Sound is a small stream, some fifteen feet across
and eight to ten feet deep, which is the only fresh-water
river in the whole group. This stream winds its way eastwards,
occasionally widening out into small and very shallow lakes,
across which, however, the channel of the stream is always
well marked, and after a course of about three miles opens
out into an enormous stretch of fresh water extending east-
ward as far as the eye can reach. In these creeks and lagoons
Ducks and Herons abounded, and a good many Flamingos
were also to be seen, but, owing to the absence of vegetation,
Passerine birds were nearly entirely absent.
Our next expedition was due north of Nassau; and skirting
the east coast of Great Abaco, we stayed on Little Abaco,
which lies off its north-western point. ‘The country here is
mostly covered with pine-forest, and is locally known as the
* pine-barrens,” consisting of dense bush and clearings for
sisal-plantations. A good many species of Passeres were col-
lected here, while we found the American Mocking-bird fairly
established as a resident and breeding bird, and have little
doubt of its eventually spreading considerably to the south.
Tn this connexion the curious distribution of two species is
worth noting: firstly, Sporadinus riccordi, a Cuban species,
which is found northwards at Andros, again in Abaco, and
probably also in Great Bahama; secondly ,the Turkey-Buzzard,
Cathartes aura, which has a precisely similar distribution, so
far as the Bahamas are concerned. But it is very strange
that neither of these species, and especially the latter, should
ever have been found on New Providence, which at its nearest
point is not more than twenty-three miles from Andros.
At Little Abaco the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo borealis)
was found breeding ; a specimen of Kirtland’s Warbler was
also procured,and the large Yellow-throat (Geothlypis tanneri)
was fairly numerous.
In our third and last expedition, in which I was accom-
panied by Mr. Frank M. Chapman, of the American Museum
of Natural History, New York, and Mr. L. A. Fuertes, a
from the Northern Bahamas. 275
well-known American bird-artist, we hoped to have landed
on many of the southern islands and to have visited the
breeding-colonies of the Frigate-birds, Boobies, Flamingos,
and Terns, but owing to illness our original plan had to be
abandoned and the end of the first week saw us back again
in Nassau Harbour. After a couple of days we set off once
more for the southern end of Andros and the neighbouring
Cays, where we found the Sooty, Noddy, and Bridled Terns
breeding in numbers, as well as the Dusky Shearwater
(Puffinus auduboni). Four other species of Terns were also
seen, and probably intended to breed at no great distance. We
penetrated inland and explored some old Flamingo-colonies,
where we found a few new nests half built, but most of
the birds could not have begun to breed. I have written
fully on this species, as well as on the most noticeable of
the others met with, in the ‘Avicultural Magazine’ from
October 1902 to January 1903 inclusive, to which I would
refer those who may desire more detailed information on
the habits &c. than will be found in the following pages.
The total number of species met with amounts to some
108, or about two-thirds of the total number recorded from
the group. So many small expeditions have been made of
late years by Americans, that no novelties could be expected,
but several additions were made to the Bahama list, viz. :—
Vireo flavifrons, Mareca americana, Botaurus lentiginosus,
Nycticorax nevius, and Mimus polyglottus, the last of which
was hitherto only recorded from a single specimen procured
by myself at Nassau on a former occasion, but was now found
well established on Little Abaco. Dendraca gundlachi was
also found on the last-named island, many miles to the
north of its previously known range.
Apart from these we find that our series of skins does not
bear out the conclusions arrived at in America as regards
several local forms, especially Geothlypis maynardi and
Riccordia (Sporadinus) eneo-viridis. In cases where we
have not had_ sufficient material for comparison, the
species have been provisionally placed under their American
names,
12
~~
276 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
1. Mimectcuta pLuMBEA (Linn.).
Mimocichla plumbea (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed.
p. 45 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Indian Bds. p. 122 (1892) ; Bon-
hote, Ibis, 1899, p. 506.
Mimocichla bryanti Seebohm, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. v.
p- 280 (1881).
49. March 1902. Nassau, New Providence.
@. 380th March, 1902. Little Abaco.
Very numerous on New Providence, but seldom seen
owing to its retiring habits.
+2. Mimus potyetorttus (Linn.).
Mimus polyglottus (Sund.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Indian Bds.
p. 121 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 507.
5 6,19. Little Abaco, March 1902.
1 nest and 3 clutches of eggs. Little Abaco, March 1902.
So far as I am aware, this is the first record of this
species as a permanent resident in the West Indies. I
have carefully compared my examples with a large series of
M. polyglottus from the States and can find no difference.
The bird was very numerous on Little Abaco, and I also
saw it on Great Abaco; it appears, however, to be local, as
none were seen on some neighbouring cays. The average
measurements of the six specimens procured are—wing 4°2
inches, tail 4°7, tarsus 1:19, culmen*66. The nest is an untidy
structure, built a few feet from the ground on any suitable
bush ; the foundation is made of very coarse material, and
consisted, in the case of one found near a boat-building yard, of
sticks, fibre, old rope, shavings, pieces of sail, &c., lined with
dry bents. The birds were just commencing to lay during
the latter half of March, and three seemed to be the usual
number of the eggs. These were pale blue, with large rust-
coloured spots and a few that were paler. Measurements :
26 by 19 mm.
4-3. Mrmus eunpiacuti Cab.
Mimus gundlachi Cab. J. f. O. 1855, p. 470.
Mimus bahamensis Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. vii.
p- 114 (1859) ; Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed. p. 48 (1890) ;
from the Northern Bahamas. 20d
id. Cat. W. I. Bds. p. 127 (1892); Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 289
(1900).
2. Nassau, New Providence, 23rd February and 4th
March, 1902.
5 2. Nassau, New Providence, 16th December, 1901, 6th
January, 23rd February, and 8rd & 7th March,
1902.
3d. Grassy Creek, Andros, 16th January.
9. Fresh Creek, e3 5th February.
? Spanish Wells, _,, 2nd February.
2. Hog Cay, off Great Abaco, 28th March.
This bird, although shy, is by no means rare on New
Providence, and it is most curious that it should hitherto
have been overlooked. It is to be found throughout the
islands wherever sufficient “ coppet,”’ or thick bush, grows.
Apparently it breeds later than the preceding species, as I
found no nests on Little Abaco, where it was fairly numerous,
although outnumbered by M. polyglottus. I can see no
difference between the Bahaman and Cuban birds, and think
that Cabanis’s name should stand.
-}-4, GALEOSCOPTES CAROLINENSIS (Linn.).
Mimus carolinensis (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 51
(1890).
Galeoscoptes carolinensis (Linn.); Cory, Cat. W. I. Bds.
p. 121 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 507; Bangs, Auk,
Xvil. p. 289 (1900).
2. Nassau, 22nd February, 1902.
Be Oks 35 3rd January, 3rd & 8th March.
6. Little Abaco, 24th March.
Ae - 17th March,
A regular aud common winter visitor, more often heard
than seen.
+ 5. PoLiopriLa CHRULEA CHSIOGASTER Ridgw.
Polioptila cerulea cesiogaster Ridgw. Manual N. A. Birds,
p. 569 (1887) ; Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed., App. (1890) ;
id.*Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 120 (1892); Bangs, Auk, xvii.
p- 289 (1900).
3 specimens. Little Abaco, 22nd & 30th March, 1902.
278 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
Little Abaco was the only island where I met with this
pretty little Warbler, and it was not common. I did not
visit the more southerly islands, where it is supposed to be
more abundant.
6. Mwnroriira varia (Linn.).
Mniotilta varia (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed.
p. 54 (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 117 (1892) ; Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 507.
29. Nassau, New Providence, 4th March and 17th April.
Occurs on both autumn and spring migrations.
7. CAMPSOTHLYPIS AMERICANA (Linn.),
Parula americana (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed.
p- 55 (1890).
Campsothlypis americana (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p- 117 (1892); Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 508.
3. Nassau, New Providence, 19th April, 1902.
Common on passage, but does not remain long.
8. Denpra@ca GuNpLacui Baird.
Dendroica gundlachi Baird, Rev. Am. Bds. p. 197 (1864) ;
Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 118 (1892).
Dendroica petechia gundlachi Baird; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd
ed. p. 58 (1890).
Dendroica petechia flaviceps Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat.
Hist. vol. iv. p. 810 (December 1892).
Dendroica petechia flaviverter* Chapman; Bangs, Auk,
xvil. p. 292 (1900).
6. Grassy Creek, Andros, 15th January, 1902.
2¢. Spanish Wells, Andros, st February, 1902.
oF » 22nd January, 1902.
36. Little Abars, 21st, 24th, & 31st March, 1902.
Previously this Warbler had only been ane met with
north of Long Island, but the present series shews it to
range throughout the group. The examples are all very
similar, although one or two are more thickly streaked
* Presumably a misprint for “flaviceps.”
from the Northern Bahamas. 219
with chestnut on the under parts; there is hardly any chestnut
to be seen on the head, but this might possibly be due to the
time of year. On Andros these birds are apparently resident,
as I met with them again in May. They seem solely to inhabit
the mangroves, especially the large clumps standing out in
the lagoons.
9. DenpR@ca CHRULESCENS (Gmel.).
Dendreca cerulescens (Gmel.); Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd
ed. p. 58 (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 118 (1892); Bon-
hote, Ibis, 1899, p. 508.
2%. Nassau, New Providence, 18th April, 1902.
Occurs regularly on passage.
10. Denpra@ca coronara (Linn.).
Dendreca coronata (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 59
(1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 118 (1892).
3. Mangrove Cay, Audros, 10th January, 1902.
6. Nassau, New Providence, 22nd February, 1902.
¢. Little Abaco, 24th March, 1902.
22. rr 24th & 26th March, 1902.
A common winter-visitor in suitable localities, frequenting
open and swampy ground, generally in small flocks.
11. Denpr@ca TiGRINA (Gmel.).
Dendreca tigrina (Gmel.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 63
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 117 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 508; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 292 (1900).
é. Little Abaco, 22nd March, 1902.
¢. Nassau, New Providence, 17th April, 1902.
A regular migrant through the islands, but never numerous.
12. Denpre@ca piscotor (Vieill.).
Dendreca discolor (Vieill.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 64
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 119 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 508; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 293 (1900).
23. Nassau, New Providence, 12th December, 19901,
and 22nd February, 1902.
29. Nassau, New Providence, 26th December, 1901,
and 21st February, 1902.
280 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
g. Spanish Wells, Andros, Ist February, 1902.
9. Mangrove Cay, Andros, 15th January, 1902.
26. Little Abaco. 22nd & 27th March, 1902.
An abundant winter visitor.
13. Denpra@ca pominica (Linn.).
Dendreca dominica (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed.
p- 65 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 118 (1892) ; Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 509.
4g. Nassau, New Providence, 12th December, 1901,
19th February and 3rd March, 1902.
@. Nassau, New Providence, 12th December, 1901.
¢. Spanish Wells, Andros, 21st January, 1962.
A common and abundant winter visitor, generally to be
found among the topmost branches of the pine-trees.
14, Denpr@ca KIRTLAND! (Baird).
Dendroica kirtlandi (Baird), Rev. Am. Bds. p. 206 (1864) ;
Cory, Bds. Bahamas, p. 66 (1880); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p- 118 (1892); Chapman, Auk, xv. p. 289 (1898); id. Auk,
xvi. p. 81 (1899) ; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 292 (1900).
6. Little Abaco, 25th March, 1902.
o- Nassau, New Providence, April 1902.
Scarce as this bird must still be considered, the majority
of the specimens known have been taken in the Bahamas.
But little light, however, appears to have been shed on its
habits or possible breeding-haunts. The two specimens
enumerated above were both procured by my native boy.
That from Little Abaco was one of a small flock, two other
members of which he shot ; but as they were somewhat badly
knocked about, he did not bring them in, and all further
search in the same locality proved fruitless. The second
example, which came from near Nassau, was too badly shot
to be skinned. Mr. Chapman, in the ‘Auk,’ has enumerated
the known occurrences of this species, some 75 in all.
Mr. Chapman is of opinion that its breeding-grounds must
be sought for in the Hudson Bay Region.
The Little Abaco specimen is a male, and is undergoing a
thorough moult of the head and throat, ‘The whole of the
from the Northern Bahamas. 281
upper parts are of a bluish ash-colour, the feathers of the
crown and scapulars having broad black centres. The ash on
the scapulars is tinged with brownish, and on the major coverts
becomes nearly white. Under parts pale lemon-yellow, the
feathers of the flanks having dark centres ; under tail-coverts
white, quills and tail-feathers dark brown, the former with
white outer margins, the latter with a patch of white on the
inner web of the two outermost. Legs black.
Dimensions —Wing 3 inches, tail 2:9, tarsus 1, cul-
men °5.
15. Denpra@ca paLMARUM (Gmel.).
Dendreca palmarum (Gmel.); Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed.
p. 68 (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 118 (1892) ; Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 509; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 292 (1900).
2. Nassau, New Providence, 12th December, 1901.
36 2? %. Spanish Wells, Andros, 21st January, 1902.
A very common and numerous winter visitor, found
everywhere. The chestnut head is not developed till far
on in the spring.
16. DenpRa@ca acurustTeRA Bangs.
Dendreca achrustera Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 292 (1900).
Dendreca bahamensis Maynard (uec Cory), App. Cat. Bds.
W. Indies (29th November, 1899).
Dendreca vigorsi (Aud.); Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 118
(1892); Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 509.
Dendreca pinus (Wils.); Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed.
p- 69 (1890).
26. Nassau, New Providence, 12th December, 1901,
and 3rd March, 1902.
9. Nassau, New Providence, 12th December, 1901.
I am not thoroughly convinced of the validity of this
species, originally described by Maynard and renamed by
Bangs. | Maynard’s original description was _ published
privately by himself, and I have been unable to find a copy
of it in this country; but the description given by Bangs
agrees fairly well with my specimens, and I have therefore
placed them under his name. The wing-measurements of my
282 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
specimens are, however, larger, namely, 67 mm., 69, and 67,
as against 64, 64, and 63 of Mr. Bangs’s skins.
On comparing them with the large series in the British
Museum, I find that they may be distinguished by their dull
and dark colour and the absence of yellow on the throat.
The beak is distinctly stouter, but the wing is only a trifle
smaller. This form also occurs in Florida.
17. Srurus aurocaPrLivus (Linn.).
Seiurus aurocapillus (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed.
p. 70 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 119 (1892) ; Bonhvte,
Ibis, 1899, p. 509; Banks, Auk, xvi. p. 292 (1900).
3 ¢. Nassau, New Providence, 18th February, 7th
March, and 17th Apyril, 1902.
A fairly common winter visitor of very skulking habits.
18. Srurus NOVEBORACENSIS (Gmel.).
Seiurus noveboracensis (Gm.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p- 71 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 119 (1892) ; Bonhote,
ibis 899; p. 510:
@. Nassau, New Providence, 3rd January, 1902.
2. Little Abaco, 24th March, 1902.
A winter visitor, inhabiting damp places with thick growth.
19. GreorHiyPis TRIcHAS (Linn.).
Geothlypis trichas (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p.72
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 119 (1892); Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 510; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 289 (1900).
Geothlypis restricta Maynard, Am. Ex. & Mart.
(December 15, 1886).
5 g. Nassau, New Providence, 21st December, 1901,
4th January, 19th February, 28ch April, 1902.
3 2. Nassau, New Providence, llth, 14th, and 16th
December, 1901.
&. Great Abaco, Ist April, 1902.
Without taking into account Mr. Palmer’s recent paper *
on this genus, which I hope to be able to discuss on a future
occasion, I much doubt the existence of two species of the
* Auk, xvii. p. 216 (1900).
from the Northern Bahamas. 283
Small Yellow-throat on New Providence. In a large series of
Yellow-throats from the Bahamas which I have measured,
the length of the wing varies in the male from 54 to 60 mm.,
and in the female 51 to 54 mm.; so that further investi-
gation is necessary before accepting Mr. Maynard’s species,
which chiefly differs from G. trichas in its smaller size,
having a wing-measurement of 53-55 mm.
20. GrorHLyPis RosTRATA Bryant.
Geothlypis rostratus Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. xi.
p- 67 (1866) ; Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed. p. 73 (1890);
id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 119 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899,
p- 510; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 290 (1900).
Geothlypis maynard: Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 290 (1900).
2g. Nassau, New Providence, 3rd March and 19th
April, 1902.
This bird, which inhabits the low thick bush, is so shy
and retirmg in its habits that it probably appears much
searcer than it really is. It is not, however, by any means
abundant.
One of my specimens (No. 12838) of the large Geothlypis
from Nassau is certainly brighter on the back than the others,
and has yellowish behind the mask instead of ash-grey,
while the under parts are bright yellow throughout. The
measurements are: wing 63 mm., tail 64, tarsus 24, culmen 16,
I take this to be a typical example of G. maynardi Bangs.
The following are the measurements of two other
specimens :— .
Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Culmen,
mm. mm. mm, mm.
No: “728: Coll, J. L..By -.... 63 60 22 15
No. 1888 ,, J... B. ...-.. 63 61 22°5 1%
In these two specimens the back is duller, in the one
the yellow of the flanks is greyish, though hardly at all in
the other, and in the yellower one there is also a trace
of yellowish behind the eye.
In other words, No. 1388 is G. rostrata as defined by
Mr. Bangs, while No. 728 has the size and colour of the back
of G. rostrata, with the head and under parts of G. maynardi.
284 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
All these specimens come from New Providence, the two
extremes being taken in the spring of the year and the
intermediate form in the autumn.
To my mind, the best explanation is that G. rostrata is the
bird in its first year (é. e. from its Ist to its 2nd autumn),
and G. maynardi the fully adult bird; and this conclusion is
borne out by my intermediate specimen being an autumn
bird in the moult.
Mr. Bangs, however, states that there is a difference in
size between the two species, and since, as a rule, birds reach
their full growth in their first year, the size of G. ros-
trata and G. maynardi, if my solution be the correct one,
ought to be the same. On looking through Mr. Bangs’s
measurements in the paper quoted above we find no definite
break between the two species, the one running right into the
other. Still, supposing that the two sets are marked by a
division, on looking more closely at those measurements we
find that the difference lies only in the wingand tail. Those
relating to the tarsus and culmen, the only skeletal measures
given, are precisely the same in both series, so that struc-
turally the two so-called species are identical so far as size
is concerned, and the apparent difference is due to the length
of feathers, which are moulted at a time when I suggest that
the transition takes place.
The only evidence which I have to leave untouched is the
question of the song, which is said by Maynard to be
different ; but might not age affect this also ?
Apart from these arguments, surely to those who believe
in the principles of evolution, as all systematists of the
present day are bound to do, it is practically an impossible
matter that two such nearly allied resident species, having
the same habits, should exist on an island of some 80 square
miles in extent. Supposing that they reached the island as
two separate forms, they would be bound to approximate and
merge together ; or supposing, which is almost certainly the
case, that they arrived on the island as one species, in what
manner could natural selection so act as to produce two
distinct species on one small rocky island, without hills,
rivers, or any pronounced geographical features ?
from the Northern Bahamas. 285
21. GEoTHLyPIs TANNERI (Ridgw.).
Geothlypis tanneri Ridgw. Auk, i. p. 335 (1886).
Geothlypis rostrata tanneri Ridgw.; Cory, Cat. W. I. Bds.
p: E19 (1892):
24. Inttle Abaco, 22nd & 28th March, 1902.
Oe 35 » 380th March.
I place my specimens provisionally under this name,
though I must confess my inability to recognise any sub-
specific differences between G. tanneri and G. rostrata.
There are three points in which the former may be said
to differ slightly from G. rostrata :—
(i.) There is less ashy behind the mask on the top of
the head.
(ii.) The ashy behind the mask over the ears has an
almost imperceptible yellowish tinge.
(ii.) The olive on the flanks is of a rather browner
shade.
Possibly, however, the birds I got on Little Abaco do not
belong to G. fanneri of Ridgway, as they differ from the
description as given by Cory, viz. :—
(a) “The yellow posterior border to the mask paler,
and changing to yellowish grey across the crown.”
In my specimens there is a slight yellowish tinge on the
broadest part of the hght area behind the mask, but no trace
of yellow whatever on the crown.
(2) In describing G. coryi, with which G. tanneri is
compared, Cory says, “lower parts, cluding flanks,
entirely rich gamboge-yellow ” ; and for G. tanneri he
merely adds, “ yellow of lower parts less intense.”
In my specimens the yellow is of exactly the same shade
as in G. rostrata and is rather lemon-yellow than rich
gamboge, and further the flanks are brownish olive, which
colour greatly encroaches on the yellow of the lower breast
and abdomen. It seems to me most unlikely that both
G. rostrata and G. tanneri should occur on Abaco; but my
material being scanty I place these specimens provisionally
under the latter name, though my impression at the moment
is that G. tanneri is not a good species.
It is evident that much still remains to be learnt regarding
286 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
these large Yellow-throats, and that a dull as well asa bright
form is to be found on both New Providence and Abaco. To
my mind there is little doubt that my dull specimens from
Abaco are birds in their first year and are not distinct
from G. tanneri. If, however, G. maynardi and G. rostrata
prove to be two good species, then the dull Abaco bird
must be specifically distinct from G. tanneri, but. could
hardly be considered distinct from G. rostrata. A large
series of specimens, carefully collected and studied on the
spot, will be the only means of deciding the question, and
meanwhile it will be best to regard the dull birds as young
specimens,
22. SrToPHaGA RUTICILLA (Linn.).
Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 75
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. I. Bds. p. 120 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 511.
2g. Nassau, New Providence, 8rd March and 19th
April, 1902.
9. Nassau, New Providence, 19th April.
A regular migrant, occurring in spring and autumn;
solitary stragglers may occasionally be found during the
winter.
23. Ca@REBA BAHAMENSIs (Reich.).
Certhiola bahamensis Reich. Handb. i. p. 253 (1853) ;
Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 76 (1890).
_ Cereba bahamensis (Reich.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 116 (1892); Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 511; Bangs, Auk,
Xviil. p. 293 (1900).
24. Nassau, New Providence, 21st Feb. and 3rd March.
On 5 Rs 12th December, 1901.
juv. 55 3 28th April, 1902.
dé. Grassy Creek, Andros, 15th January.
3 2. little Abaco, 26th March.
A very abundant resident throughout the islands. The
breeding-season commences about the end of March, the
nest bemg a domed structure placed at a moderate height
from the ground in the thick bush.
from the Northern Bahamas. 287
4+ 24. Hirunpo rryturocastra (Bodd.).
Hirundo erythrogastra Boda. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 45 (1783).
Hirundo horreorum A. & E. Newton, Ibis, 1856, p. 66 ;
Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed. p. 78 (1890).
Chelidon erythrogaster (Bodd.) ; Cory, Cat. W. I. Bads.
p. 115 (1892).
3d. Green Cay, near Andros, 29th April, 1902.
My specimen was one of three or four which were hawking
along the shore. They had all gone by the next day. This
was the only occasion on which I met with this species in
the Bahamas.
25. CALLICHELIDON CYANEOVIRIDIS (Bryant).
Hirundo cyaneoviridis Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.
vii. p. 111 (1859) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 79 (1890).
Callichelidon cyaneoviridis (Bryant) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind.
Bds. p. 115 (1892); Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 511; Bangs,
Auk, xvii. p. 288 (1900).
& ?. Nassau, New Providence, 6th March, 1902.
Though frequently seen, generally flying at a considerable
height, this species is by no means common, and never seems
to remain long in any one place. It breeds, I am told, in
hollow trees.
+ 26. Vireo cALipris (Linn.),
Vireo altiloquus barbatulus (Cab.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. p. 82
(1890).
Vireo calidris (Linn.) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 511.
Vireo calidris barbatulus (Cab.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bas.
p- 115 (1892); Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 288 (1900).
9. Green Cay, Andros, 30th April, 1902.
A regular and abundant summer visitor, arriving about
the end of April.
27. ViREO CRASSIROSTRIS (Bryant).
Lanivireo crassirostris Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.
vil. p. 112 (1859); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 83 (1890).
Vireo crassirostris (Bryant) ; Cory, Cat. W. I. Bds. p. 116
(1892); Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 289 (1900).
288 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
Vireo crassirostris flavescens Ridgw. Man. N. A. Bads.
p. 476 (1896).
4g. Nassau, New Providence, 16th & 26th December,
1901, 19th & 23rd February, 1902.
3 92. Nassau, New Providence, 12th & 26th December,
1901, and 28th April, 1902.
A common resident, but very difficult to observe owing
to its skulking habits. None of my specimens approach
in colour V. crassirostris flavescens of Ridgway, a form
about which more information is required. In one the stripe
from the eye to the nostril is deep orange.
+28. Vireo riavirrons Vieill.
Vireo flavifrons Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. i. p. 85, fol. 54
(1807); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 83 (1890); id. Cat.
W. I. Bds. p. 116 (1892).
¢. Mangrove Cay, Andros, 11th January, 1902.
With the exception of the examples seen by Mr. Moore
and recorded by Cory, this is the sole record of this species ;
it probably occurs every winter, but is liable to be confused
with the preceding species.
29. SprinpALis ZENA (Linn.).
Spindalis zena (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 92
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 114 (1892); Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 512 ; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 293 (1900).
10 g. Nassau, New Providence, 12th, 14th, & 26th
December, 1901; 6th January, 19th & 22nd
February, 17th & 28th April, 1902.
79. Nassau, New Providence, 12th, 2lst, & 28th
December, 1901, 19th & 21st February, 1902.
Very abundant throughout New Providence. It was also
met with on Andros.
30. SPINDALIS ZENA TOWNSENDI Ridgw.
Spindalis zena townsend: Ridgw. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. x.
p- 3 (1887) ; Cory, Cat. Bds. Bah. 2nd ed., App. (1890) ; id.
Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 114 (1892).
9 g. Little Abaco, 24th to 31st March, 1902.
3lst March,
4 e 33 3)
from the Northern Bahamas. 289
Although this form seemed “somewhat doubtful” to
Cory, it has, in my opinion, more right to be recognised
than many other so-called local forms. The colouring of the
back is distinctive, and of a series of nineteen specimens
there was no hesitation in deciding to which race any
particular individual belonged. On the other hand, both
forms vary, especially that from Abaco; but in Abaco birds
the light olive-green edgings to the feathers of the back are
always conspicuous, which in S. zena is never the case. As
a rule, Abaco birds are paler on the breast, the deep chestnut
of the chest not extending so far down.
The females are indistinguishable.
31. PyrruuLacra vioLacka (Linn.).
Loxigilla violacea (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 85 (1890).
Pyrrhulagra violacea (Linn.); Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p- 112 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 512; Bangs, Auk,
Xvil. p. 293 (1900).
3. Nassau, New Providence, 23rd February, 1902.
59. re 16th December, 1901,
22nd & 27th February and 3rd March, 1902.
26. Little Abaco, 26th March.
29. Ae » 20th & 30th March.
An abundant resident, but difficult to observe in the thick
bush, which it seldom leaves. The young are olive-grey
all over (darker on the back and lighter on the vent),
except for the usual patches of chestnut, which are rather
paler than in the adult. The dark colour of maturity first
begins to appear on the cheeks. One female procured in
Little Abaco on the 25th of March is much smaller than
any other specimens that I have seen, but agrees in all
other respects ; its measurements are: wing 2°69 inches, tail
2°53, tarsus ‘8, culmen °47.
32. Evretuia Bicotor (Linn.).
Phonipara bicolor (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 91
(1890).
Euethia bicolor (Linn.); Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 113
SER. VITI.— VOL. III. U
290 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
(1892); Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 512; Bangs, Auk, xvii.
p- 293 (1900).
3 99. Nassau, New Providence, 3rd January, 19th &
22nd February, 1902.
A most abundant resident. The nest is a domed structure
made entirely of dry grass, generally placed at the top of a
small straight sapling at a height varying from four to
ten feet. The eggs are of a dull white with brownish
markings, most conspicuous at the larger end. Measure-
ments *72x°51 mm. Incubation commences at the end of
March.
33. PassERCULUS SANDVICENSIS (Gm.).
Passerculus savanna Wils.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 88
(1890).
Passerculus sandvicensis savanna (Wils.); Bangs, Auk,
Xvil. p. 293 (1900).
Ammodramus sandwichensis savanna (Wils.); Cory, Cat.
W. Ind. Bds. p. 112 (1892).
g. Mangrove Cay, Andros, 10th January, 1902.
3 ¢. Little Abaco, 27th & 31st March, 1902.
This bird is by no means common ; the specimen procured
on Andros was the only one seen. At Little Abaco it was
evidently on migration, being quite numerous for about
a week, after which no more were seen.
34. AGELEZUS PH@NICEUS BRYANTI Ridgw.
Agelaius pheniceus bryanti Ridgw.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.,
App. (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 110 (1892).
Agelaius bryanti Ridgw.; Bangs, Auk, xvi. p. 293
(1900).
3g. Nassau, New Providence, 17th & 31st December,
1901, and 28th April, 1902.
5 9. Nassau, New Providence, 2lst, 24th, & 38lst
December, 1901.
3 $. Spanish Wells, Andros, 1st February, 1902.
3. Grassy Creek, Andros, 8th May, 1902.
29. Spanish Wells, Andros, lst February, 1902.
¢. Great Abaco, Ist April, 1902.
from the Northern Bahamas. 291
5 ¢. Little Abaco, 25th, 28th, & 31st March, 1902.
ol 5 », 14th March, 1902.
A most abundant species among the mangroves, generally
in small flocks.
This species seems to be distinguished from the true
A, pheniceus by having shorter wings and a longer and more
slender bill. A large range of variation, however, occurs
in both forms, and it is not always easy to determine with
certainty to which some individuals belong.
+- 85. TyRANNUS DOMINICENSIS (Gmel.).
Tyrannus dominicensis (Gmel.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p- 108 (1892) ; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 288 (1900).
Tyrannus griseus Vieill.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 99
(1890) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 513.
&. Green Cay, near Andros, 29th April, 1902.
A very common summer visitor, arriving about the end
of April. It is one of the few Passerine inhabitants of the
outlying cays or rocks, however small, so long as they
contain a patch of vegetation. During the first fortnight of
May it was often met with well out of sight of land.
+36. Myrarcuus sacr (Gundl.).
Muscicapa sagre Gundl. Journ. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. vi.
p. 313 (1852).
Myiarchus stolidus, var. leucayensis Bryant; Cory, Bds,
Bah, 2nd ed. p. 100 (1890).
Myiarchus sagre (Gundl.); Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 108 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 513.
Myiarchus leucayensis Bryant; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 288
(1900).
6d 2. Nassau, New Providence, 24th February, 3rd
March, 28th February, 1902.
o- Mangrove Cay, Andros, 11th January, 1902.
¢. Fresh Creek, Andros, 5th February, 1902.
36 2. Little Abaco, 30th March, 1902.
A widely distributed species, though hardly common.
The nest is placed in a hole of a rotten tree, and is begun
about the beginning of April.
U2
292 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
+ 37. Buacrcus BAHAMENSIs (Bryant).
Empidonax bahamensis Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.
vii. p. 109 (1859).
Contopus bahamensis (Bryant) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p- 101 (1890).
Blacicus bahamensis (Bryant) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 109 (1892); Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 513; Bangs, Auk,
xvii, p. 288 (1900).
246. Little Abaco, 21st & 30th March, 1902.
A fairly common resident, seldom found away from thick
cover.
+. 88. Pirancus BAHAMENSIS Bryant.
Pitangus bahamensis Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. ix.
p- 279 (1864) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 102 (1890) ;
id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 108 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899,
p. 514; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 288 (1900).
4 @. Nassau, New Providence, 12th & 21st December,
1901, 19th February and 28th April, 1902.
9. Nassau, New Providence, lst March.
S o- Little Abaco, 14th & 26th March.
A fairly abundant and very tame species, generally to
be found on the pine-barrens.
-|_ 89. CaHoRDEILES MINOR Cab.
Chordeiles minor Cab. J. f. O. 1856, p.5; Cory, Bds. Bah.
2nd ed. p. 106 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 105 (1892) ;
Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p.514; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 288 (1900).
g. Grassy Creek, Andros, 6th May, 1902.
A very common summer migrant, arriving about the
beginning of May. The males seem to reach the islands
a week or more before the females. They begin to pair
almost immediately, and I have seen them chasing each other
in the full blaze of the midday sun.
-} 40. DoricHa EVELYN# (Bourc.).
Trochilus evelyne Bourc. P. Z. 8. 1847, p. 44.
Doricha evelyne (Bourc.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 108
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 107 (1892) ; Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 514; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 288 (1900).
from the Northern Bahamas. 293
3d. Nassau, New Providence, 3rd March, 1902.
A widely distributed species, abundant in suitable localities,
but somewhat local. It is very partial to the tall flowers of
the sisal.
+. 41. Sporapinus Riccorp1 (Gerv.).
Sporadinus riccordi Gervais, Rev. Mag. Zool. 1835, pls. 41
& 42.
Sporadinus riccordi (Gerv.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. Ll (1890); ad.-Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p: 107 (1892).
Sporadinus bracei Lawr. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. i. p. 50
(1877).
Riccordia eneo-viridis Wm. Palmer and J. H. Riley, Proc.
Biol. Soc. Wash. xv. p. 33 (1902) (Abaco).
3. Mangrove Cay, Andros, lith January, 1902.
4 ¢. Little Abaco, 21st March, 1902.
On Andros and Abaco this species greatly outnumbers
the foregoing, which is very rarely seen on the latter island.
On New Providence it is only known from one mummied
specimen, the type of S. bracei, and can therefore hardly be
considered as occurring there. I have very carefully studied
and measured series of these birds from Abaco and Cuba,
and fail to see the very smallest reason for separating the
Abaco bird. The only points of difference I could detect were :
(1) the middle tail-feather in the Abaco birds is slightly
(1 mm.) broader, and (2) the tail is of a more coppery bronze ;
but these distinctions are by no means constant.
+42. CeERYLE aLcyon (Linn.).
Ceryle alcyon (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 115
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 103 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 514.
o. Nassau, New Providence, 17th December, 1901.
6. Grassy Creek, Andros, 15th January, 1902.
A common winter visitor in suitable localities. It is
generally found singly and is very shy.
+-43. SAUROTHERA BAHAMENSIS Bryant.
Saurothera bahamensis Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.
ix. p. 280 (1864); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 116 (1890);
294. Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 102 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899,
p- 515; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 288 (1900).
4g. Nassau, New Providence, 19th & 28th February,
5th March, and 19th April, 1902.
A fairly common inhabitant of the thick bush, more often
heard than seen.
44, Coccyzus MINOR MAYNARDI Ridgw.
Coccyzus maynardi Ridgw. Manual N. A. Birds, p. 274
(1887).
Coccycus minor maynardi Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed., App.
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 102 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 515; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 288 (1900).
o G- Nassau, New Providence, 19th December, 1901,
and 6th March, 1902.
A generally distributed, but by no means abundant,
species ; in the northern islands it is certainly much more
conspicuous during the summer months.
+-45. CroropHaca ani Linn.
Crotophaga ani Linn.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 118
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 102 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 515; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 287 (1900).
3 9. Nassau, New Providence, 19th December and 19th
February.
A common and abundant resident throughout the islands.
+-46. DryoBaTEs VILLOSUS MAYNARDI Ridgw.
| Druobates villosus maynardi Ridgw. Man. N. A. Birds,
p. 282 (1887) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed., App. (1890) ; id.
Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 104 (1892) ; Bohihate, Ibis, 1899,
p. 516.
Dryobates maynardi Ridgw.; Bangs, Auk, xvi. p. 288
(1900).
9. Nassau, New Providence, Ist March, 1902.
9. Great Abaco, Ist April, 1902.
9. Little Abaco, 3lst March, 1902.
A somewhat rare species, though apparently widely dis-
tributed. The present specimens confirm the remarks in
my former paper, that the length of wing, and consequent
Jrom the Northern Bahamas. 295
general size, is the only tangible characteristic of this race.
One of the specimens shows a trace of dark stripes on the
breast.
+47. SpHyrapicus varius (Linn.).
Picus varius Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. p. 176 (1766).
Sphyrapicus varius (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 121 (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 104 (1892); Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 516.
6,3 2. Nassau, New Providence, 4th March, 19th
February, and Ist & 7th March, 1902.
A very common winter visitor, especially round Nassau.
+48. Curysotis LeucocePHaLa (Linn.).
Psittacus leucocephalus Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 100 (1766).
Chrysotis collaria (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 123
(1890).
Amazona leucocephala (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 101 (1892).
I brought home several specimens of this bird alive. They
are now becoming very scarce and are exterminated in most
of their former haunts, viz. Abaco and Long Island. <A few
may possibly still be found on Inagua, but I only know of
their existence positively on an island the name of which
I think it inadvisable to divulge.
++ 49, STRIX FLAMMEA PRATINCOLA Bp.
Strix pratincola Bp. List, p. 7 (1838).
Strix fammea, var. pratincola Bp.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 125 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 100 (1892) ; Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 516.
Strix pratincola Bp.; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 287 (1900).
One specimen. Hope Town, Abaco, 30th December, 1901.
This Owl is by no means common, and is hardly known
by the inhabitants,
-- 50. SproryTo CUNICULARIA CAVICOLA Bangs.
Speotyto cunicularia cavicola Bangs, Auk, xvi. p. 287
(1900).
Speotyto tunicularia, var. floridana Ridgw.; Cory, Bds.
296 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
Bah. 2nd ed. p. 126 (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 100
(1892).
Speotyto bahamensis Maynard (nec Cory), App. Cat. W.
Ind. Bds. (29th Nov., 1899) ; Allen, Auk, xvii. p. 187 (1900).
9. Nassau, New Providence, 7th March, 1902.
By no means uncommon, but not often seen. I have had
no opportunity of comparing this specimen with those from
Florida, and thus confirming Mr. Bangs’s diagnosis, but,
as it comes from the same locality as the type, I include it
under its new name. Its measurements are as follows :—
Wing 158 mm., tail 76, tarsus 45, middle toe (s. u.) 22, depth
of bill 14,
[Crrcus Hupsonicus (Linn.).
I saw a Hawk at Spanish Wells, Andros, on the 22nd
January, which I believe to have been of this species. |
[FaLco sparvertus (Linn.).
Occasionally seen during the winter, but not very
common. |
f-51. Burro poreaLis umBRINUS Bangs.
Buteo borealis umbrinus Bangs, Proc. N. Engl. Zool. Club,
yol. 1. p. 67 (1901).
Buteo borealis (Gm.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 1381
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 99 (1892).
6 ?. Little Abaco, 26th March, 1902.
2 eges. cB ” 9
The Bahaman bird is apparently identical with the Floridan
form lately described by Mr. Bangs. The male differs from
the female in the purer white of the chest, the dark band
across the breast is less marked, and the feathers on the
thighs are pure white, the rusty bars being entirely absent ;
the ferruginous on the sides and back of the neck is also
much brighter. It is rather larger, the wing measuring 15
inches as against 14 in the female.
A nest of this bird was placed about twenty feet from the
ground near the top of a pine-tree ; the foundation was made of
coarse twigs, and it was neatly lined with green pine-needles.
The eggs, two in number, were elliptical in shape and dull
from the Northern Bahamas. 297
biuish white in colour—on one there were no markings
whatever, but on the other there were a few irregular smudges
of brown.
Measurements: 56 x 47 mm.
My female agrees exactly with the description of the
type, and therefore I have placed it under its new name.
I can, however, see no difference between this and specimens
from the Eastern States; but the series of the southern
specimens being small, it is impossible to be quite certain.
-+-52. PaNnDION CAROLINENSIS (Gmel.).
Pandion haliaétus (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p.131
(1890).
Pandion haliaétus carolinensis (Gmel.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind.
Bds. p. 99 (1892).
? ad. Spanish Wells, Andros, 2nd February, 1902.
3 ad. As 5 22nd February, 1902.
3 imm. - 3rd March, 1902.
d imm, Grassy rece Andros, 9th May, 1902.
When perfectly adult these birds are of a uniform brown
on the back and wing-coverts. The head is nearly pure
white, only a very few of the feathers having dark brown shafts.
In the young in its first plumage all the feathers of the back
have broad pale yellow margins, while a large proportion of
the feathers of the head have black shafts. The feathers on
the back of the crown and nape are deeply tinged with
rufous, which colour extends as a slightly lighter tint to
the throat. A bird shot in May has the back nearly pure
brown, while the light edgings to the wing-coverts shew a
considerable amount of wear. A specimen alive in captivity,
which was taken from the nest on the 31st of January, and
was full-fledged about three weeks later, began to moult at
the end of July, and had by November assumed the pure
brown back, the wing-coverts shewing considerably less white
than before, the tail and flight-feathers were also moulted.
I met with two nests of this species, both of which were
huge structures placed on the top of small mangrove-clumps
some fifteen to twenty feet from the ground, I saw young
birds on the wing with their parents at the end of January,
298 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
so that incubation must begin about the latter end of
November. The birds are by no means common in the
northern islands, but are chiefly to be found near the broad
lagoons, where their principal food is a fish known as “ Bone
Fish.”
+53. Caruarres aura (Linn.).
Cathartes aura (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 1384
(1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 98 (1892).
6. Mangrove Cay, Andros, 10th January, 1902.
o. Little Abaco, 2nd April, 1902.
This bird was nowhere abundant and was met with only
on Andros and Abaco. It is very strange that it should
never be found on New Providence, which is only twenty
miles from Andros.
54, CoLuUMBA LEUCOCEPHALA Linn.
Columba leucocephala Linn.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 137
(1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 96 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 516.
@. Nassau, New Providence, 3rd March, 1902.
6. Washerwoman Cay, Andros, Ist May, 1902.
A resident, not very numerous during the winter. It
breeds in large numbers on some of the outlying cays, flying
ten or twenty miles to the mainland for its food. The
breeding-season is late, not commencing till June.
--55. ZENAIDURA MACRURA (Linn.).
Zenaida macroura (Linn.); Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 286
(1900).
Zenaidura macroura (Linn.); Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p- 97 (1892).
2. Nassau, New Providence, 19th April, 1902.
Until recently this species had not been recorded from
‘the Bahamas. It is known, however, to the natives under
the name of ‘Turtle Dove.” The above specimen was shot
off the nest, which contained two fresh eggs. Several others
were seen and heard on Little Exuma and Andros. On the
former island there seemed to be quite a flock on the 22nd
of April, possibly migrating.
from the Northern Bahamas. 299
—56. CoLUMBIGALLINA PASSERINA (Linn.).
Chamepelia bahamensis Maynard, Am. Ex. & Mart (15th
January, 1887).
Chamepelia passerina (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 189 & App. (1890).
Columbigallina passerina (Linn.); Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 97 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 517.
Columbigallina bahamensis (Maynard); Bangs, Auk, xvi.
p- 286 (1900).
3¢. Nassau, New Providence, December 1901 and
February 1902.
5 9. Nassau, New Providence, December 1901,
January and February 1902.
23,2. Little Abaco, 26th March, 1902.
One of the most abundant species, appearing to breed all
the year round. The nest is sometimes on the ground,
more often a few feet up a tree. I can find no characters
sufficient to warrant a special name being applied to the
Bahaman bird. Like the White-headed Pigeon, it is fre-
quently found on outlying rocks and cays some miles from
the mainland.
— 57. Ortyx BaHAMENSIS (Maynard).
Colinus bahamensis Maynard, App. to Cat. Bds. W. Ind.
(1899); Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 286 (1900).
Ortyx virginianus (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 142
(1890).
Colinus virginianus (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 96
(1592) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 517.
6 ad. Nassau, New Providence, 15th April, 1902.
I have provisionally placed this species under the name
given to it by Mr. Maynard, but have not compared it with
Floridan or other specimens, and am not therefore able to
vouch for its distinctness or the reverse. I brought home
three living specimens, a pair of which bred last September,
but I was unable to rear the young. Incubation lasted
twenty-five days. On New Providence they are fairly
common in the pine-barrens, but very difficult to shoot on
300 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
the wing, owing to the trees, and it is almost impossible
to flush them a second time.
+- 58. SquaTaRoLa HELVETICA (Linn.).
Squatarola helvetica (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 144 (1890) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 517.
Charadrius squaterola (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 94 (1892).
3. Grassy Creek, Andros, 13th January, 1902.
o: Spanish Wells, Andros, 2nd February, 1902.
3d. Green Cay, near Andros, 29th April, 1902.
Fairly common throughout the winter in suitable spots
near the sea, but hardly ever wandering inland.
+ 59. Aieiauitis voctreRa (Linn.).
Agialitis vocifera (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 145
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 95 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 518.
?. Nassau, New Providence, 4th January, 1902.
?. Little Abaco, 2]st March, 1902.
Fairly common in winter on open and cultivated land,
seldom seen after the beginning of March.
+ 60. ASe1aALiTIs witsonra (Ord).
Aigialitis wilsonia (Ord) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 147
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 95 (1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis,
1899, p. 518; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 285 (1900).
23,2. Grassy Creek, Andros, 17th January, 1902.
6. Little Abaco, 21st March, 1902.
- A very common resident, breeding abundantly on the
lagoons of Andros. Incubation commences about the begin-
ning of May; I found three eggs a few feet from high-water
mark on the 9th of that month. There was no attempt at a
nest beyond a slight hollow scraped in the sand.
61. AlgiAciTIs sEMIPALMATA (Bp.).
Asgialitis semipalmata (Bp.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 148 (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 95 (1892) ; Bonhote,
Ibis, 1899, p. 518; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 286 (1900).
?. Mangrove Cay, Andros, 10th January, 1902.
3 ?. Green Cay, near Andros, 29th April, 1902.
Strom the Northern Bahamas. 301
By no means numerous, but generally distributed along
the sea-shore.
+-62. Hamatopus pattiatus Temm.
- Hematopus palliatus Temm. Man. @’Orn. ii. p- 582 (1820);
Cory, Bds. Bahamas, 2nd ed. p. 150 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind.
Birds, p. 95 (1892).
Hematopus prattii Maynard, App. to Cat. Bds. W. Ind.
(1899) ; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 284 (1900).
2. Grassy Creek, Andros, 5th & 11th May, 1902.
Although shot at Andros during the breeding-season,
I am unable to distinguish these specimens from other
Atlantic coast and W. Indian examples, which seem to
vary considerably in the size and length of the bill.
Whether HH. pratti of Maynard is or is not a good species
I cannot say, but the common form is found on Andros
during the summer.
4. 68. SrrEpsiLas INTERPRES (Linn.),
Tringa interpres Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 148 (1758).
Strepsilas interpres (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 151 (1890).
Arenaria interpres (Linn.); Cory, Cat. W. I. Bds. p. 95
(1892).
3. Mangrove Cay, Andros, 10th January, 1902.
26,29. Grassy Creek, 16th January, 1902.
9. Little Abaco, 30th March, 1902.
3 ¢. Green Cay, near Andros, 29th April, 1902.
A very common species in suitable places; specimens
at the end of April had just completed their change to
summer plumage.
}. 64. Himantorus mexicanus Mill.
Himantopus nigricollis Vieill.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 153 (1890).
Himantopus mexicanus (Miill.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 92 (1892).
3 %. Green Cay, near Andros, 30th April, 1902.
This was the only place where these birds were met with.
Some eight or nine pairs were about to breed on the shores of a
302 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
small inland pool on the Cay. They appear, unless disturbed,
to keep very quiet and to confine themselves to the pool, for
we did not find them the first day that we landed, and as the
island was barely a mile and a half in circumference we
could hardly have missed them had they left the pond. They
were just about to breed, a fully shelled and pigmented egg
being obtained from the female. As soon as we approached
they became very noisy and eventually left the pond, but
kept on returning at frequent intervals.
4-65. Gatiinaco DELIcaTA (Ord).
~ Gallinago wilsoni (Temm.); Cory, Bds. Bah, 2nd ed.
p-. 156 (1890).
Gallinago delicata (Ord); Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 92
(1892).
2. Nassau, Bahamas, 24th December, 1901.
A tolerably common winter visitor in suitable spots, but
by no means numerous. It is rather local in its distribution
and unless its favourite swamps be visited it is but seldom
seen. It is more partial to damp spots situated amongst
palmettos and bushes than to large stretches of open swamp.
66. MacrorHAMPHUS GRISEUS (Gm.).
Macrorhamphus griseus (Gm.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 157 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 92 (1892).
49. Spanish Wells, Andros, 21st January, 1902.
@. Grassy Creek, Andros, 10th May, 1902.
A rather scarce winter visitor, generally found in small
flocks. In full breeding-dress it looks, at a distance, very
much like a Knot. I once met with a flock of these birds in
one of the gardens in the town; they were very tame and
hungry, having evidently just arrived. The May individual
was in full breeding-dress and very fat.
67. EREUNETES PUSILLUS (Linn.).
Ereunetes pusillus (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 157 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 93 (1892); Bangs,
Auk, xvii. p. 286 (1900).
gad. Hog Island, off New Providence, 27th April, 1902.
This is the only occasion on which I met with this species;
from the Northern Bahamas. 303
it may have been overlooked, owing to its resemblance to the
Little Stint, but I am inclined to think that it only visits
the northern islands on migration.
68. Trinea MinuTILLA Vieill.
Tringa minutilla Vieill. Nouv. Dict. xxxiv. p. 452 (1819) ;
Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 158 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 93 (1892) ; Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 286 (1900).
29. Nassau, New Providence, 17th December, 1901.
oO; - rf 4th March, 1902.
?. Hog Island, New Providence, 27th April, 1902.
29%. Grassy Creek, Andros, 17th January, 1902.
A very common winter visitor and excessively tame,
allowing an approach to within two or three feet, and if
disturbed merely running away for a few yards.
69. CaLipRIs ARENARIA (Linn.).
Calidris arenaria (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 160
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 93 (1892).
?. Grassy Creek, Andros, 17th January, 1992.
A small flock was seen on two occasions at Andros, the
only place where this species was met with.
70. SYMPHEMIA SEMIPALMATA (Gm.).
Totanus semipalmatus (Gm.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 160 (1890) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 518.
Symphemia semipalmata (Gm.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 94 (1892) ; Bangs, Auk, xvil. p. 286 (1900).
3d. Grassy Creek, Andros, 17th January, 1902.
oo. a 0 5th May, 1902.
These birds are not very common during the winter and,
when seen, are generally very wild. On my second visit to
Grassy Creek in May they were very abundant and preparing
to breed, and some of them had, I fancy, begun to sit.
They are known locally as “ Duck Snipe.”
71. Toranus MELANOLEUCUS Gm.
Totanus melanoleucus (Gm.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p- 161 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 93 (1892).
3 specs. Grassy Creek, Andros, 15th January, 1902.
?. Fresh Creek, Andros, 5th February,.1902.
304 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
Although this bird was met with on several occasions,
it can by no means be considered a common winter visitor.
72. Toranus FLAVIPES Gi.
Totanus flavipes (Gm.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 162
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 93 (1892).
2 ¢@. Fresh water, Andros, 25th & 27th January, 1902.
A very scarce visitor ; all those seen were observed near
the fresh-water lake in the centre of Andros, some twenty
miles from the sea.
73. Acritis MACULARIA (Linn.).
Tringoides macularius (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bahamas,
2nd ed. p. 162 (1890) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 519.
Actitis macularia (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 94
(1892).
2. Little Abaco, 21st March, 1902.
29. Nassau, New Providence, 27th April, 1902.
This species did not make its appearance till towards the
end of March. I believe that individuals are to be found
throughout the summer, but the note in my previous paper
recording them as common throughout the year was a mis-
take, as on neither trip did I ever meet with them in winter.
~+-74, ARpEA HERODIAS Linn.
Ardea herodias Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 237 (1766) ; Cory,
Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 166 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 89
(1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 519.
?imm. Grassy Creek, Andros, 10th May, 1902.
This bird is commonly to be met with throughout the
more secluded parts of the islands, where it is known under
the name of “Arsnicker.’” It is very shy and almost
impossible to approach. Most of the birds seen were
immature.
[ARDEA EGRETTA Gm.
Whilst sailing down Middle Bight, Andros, on the 2nd of
February, I saw a large white Heron, which I have little
doubt belonged to this species. It was excessively wild and
did not allow a close approach. |
from the Northern Bahamas. 305
~_75. ARDEA TRICOLOR RUFICOLLIS (Gosse).
Kgretta ruficollis Gosse, Bds. Jam. p. 88 (1847).
Ardea leucogastra, var. leucoprymna | Cory, Bds. Bah.2nd ed.
Ardea cyanirostris | p- 168 & App. (1890).
Ardea tricolor ruficollis (Gosse) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 89 (1892).
dimm. Grassy Creek, Andros, 17th January, 1902.
3 ? ad.,? imm, Spanish Wells, Andros, 22nd January,
1902.
2 dad. Fresh water, Andros, 28th January, 1902.
gad. Nassau, New Providence, 29th April, 1902.
? ad. Grassy Creek, Andros, 4th May, 1902.
A very abundant species; examples taken at the end of
April were in full breeding-plumage with deep blue beaks,
They were very tame, and generally to be found in small
flocks round the large clumps of mangroves. In spring
they had all paired and did not appear to be gregarious.
One nest contained a single egg on the 17th of May.
+76. Arpra ruFA Bodd.
Ardea rufa Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 54 (1783) ; Cory, Bds.
Bah. 2nd ed. p. 170 (1890).
Herodias pealit Brewer, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. vil.
p. 308 (1860).
Ardea rufescens Gmel.; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 89
(1892).
A. Blue Form.
? ad. Grassy Creek, Andros, 15th January, 1902.
3 9 ad. Wide opening, Andros, 24th January, 1902.
3 imm. re Ps 5 3
9 ad. Fresh Creek, Andros, 5th February, 1902.
B. White Form.
S$ 9? ad. Grassy Creek, Andros, 14th January, 1902.
? ad. 5 rf 15th January, 1902 (shot
from nest).
6 dimm. Grassy Creek, Andros, 13th January, 1902.
Apparently this species is dimorphic; but, so far as my
experience went, I never met with any intermediate specimens,
SER. VIII.—VOL, III. x
306 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
and those of the white form shew no traces of blue in
any part of their plumage, thereby contrasting sharply
with the succeeding species, in which ali the young indi-
viduals shew traces of the blue adult plumage, especially
towards the tips of the outer primaries. These remarks
apply to the specimens in the British Museum as well.
In January I found three nests in which the parents
were all of the white form, and in May one nest in which
both the parents belonged to the blue; but I believe that
instances of the two forms breeding together are not un-
known, though I should imagine this to be the exception
rather than the rule.
Although both forms were found commonly at Andros, in
some localities the white greatly predominated, and in other
places almost every bird met with belonged to the blue
form.
Should they be considered distinct, the name of the white
form is dA. pealit.
+77. ArpHa c£RvULEA Linn.
Ardea cerulea Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. p. 148 (1758) ; Cory,
Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 171 (1890) ; id, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 99
(1892).
Ardea rufa Bodd.; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 519.
?imm. Fresh Creek, Andros, 5th February, 1902.
This bird must be local in distribution, as I saw but one
specimen ; it used to be common near Nassau, but the swamp
where numbers formerly were seen is now nearly dry. My
specimen shews traces of blue on the head, neck, and wings.
+78. ARDEA BAHAMENSIS Brewster.
Ardea bahamensis Brewster, Auk, v. p. 83 (1888) ; Cory,
Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 90 (1892); Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 287
(1900).
Ardea virescens Linn. ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 171
(1890); Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 519.
3 gimm. Nassau, New Providence, 19th December,
1901.
¢ ad. Nassau, New Providence, 5th March, 1902.
=~
from the Northern Bahamas. 50
? ad. Spanish Wells, Andros, 23rd January, 1902.
Qad. Grassy Creek, Andros, 10th May, 1902.
3 imm. a = 15th January, 1902.
g ad. Wide Opening, Andros, 25th January, 1902.
g ad. Green Cay, near Andros, 20th April, 1902.
o ad. Little Abaco, 14th March, 1902.
A very common and numerous resident, the Bahaman
form being quite distinct from that of the mainland and Cuba.
The sexes are alike, and in the breeding-season the naked
skin in front of the eye, which is yellow at other times,
becomes a deep blue as in 4. fricolor. Young birds apparently
moult in early spring, viz. March and April, at the same time
that the adults assume their brighter colours. Incubation
begins towards the end of April; the nest, composed entirely
of sticks, is placed low down in small mangrove-bushes.
This species does not breed in colonies. The eggs are very
pale blue and measure 40 x 29 mm.
79. Nycricorax viotacevs (Linn.).
Nyctiardea violacea (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p. 173 (1890). |
Nycticorax violaceus (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 90 (1890) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 519. .
Qad.,2imm. Spanish Wells, Andros, 21st January,
1902.
gad. Grassy Creck, Andros, 15th January, 1902.
a 2 Yad. 3 vp 10th May, 1902.
3d 2imm. Green Cay, near Andros, 30th April, 1902.
dg ad. Hog Cay, off Gt. Abaco, 28th March, 1902.
Q ad. Little Abaco, 29th March, 1902.
A very numerous resident. The females appear to be
slightly darker than the males, and some shew traces of
yellowish on the throat. Breeding commences soon after
the beginning of April, although eggs do not seem to be
laid till late in May. When near the nest these birds are
stupidly tame, and one even allowed me to take hold of
it through the thick bush in which the nest was placed.
I am inclined to think that they return yearly to the same
x2
308 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
nests, as the foundations of some that were new on the
top seemed rather weather-worn. This is much more of a
shore-bird than the other species of Heron and may often be
found on bare rocks some miles out at sea.
¢+-80. Nycricorax Na&vius (Bodd.).
Nycticorax nycticorax nevius (Bodd.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind.
Bds. p. 90 (1892).
o imm. Lees River, Andros, 28th January, 1902.
So far as Iam aware, this is the first record of this species
in the Bahamas, to which it is evidently only an occasional
straggler. One more example was seen near the same place,
but both were very wild, and it was only with difficulty that
the present specimen was secured for identification.
+81. Boraurus LentTIGINosus (Mont.).
Ardea lentiginosus Mout. Orn. Dict. Suppl. (1813).
3. Nassau, New Providence, 28th December, 1901].
or 4; 5 January, 1902.
ee. 5 5 6th March, 1902.
I can find no previous record of this species in the
Bahamas, though it is probably a regular winter migrant,
which has been overlooked, as it does not rise unless nearly
trodden on.
+-82. ArpETTa Ex1LIs (Gmel.).
Ardetta evils (Gmel.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 174
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 89 (1892).
gad. Nassau, New Providence, 21st February, 1902.
Whether this bird is scarce or escapes notice by its skulking
habits, I cannot say. Only one specimen was seen.
+83. Rattus coryr Mayn. :
Rallus coryi Maynard, Am. Exch. & Mart, Boston (Jan.
15th, 1887) ; id. op. cit. (Feb. 5th, 1887); Cory, Bds. W.
Ind. p. 254 (1889) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 91 (1892).
6. Spanish Wells, Andros, 2nd February, 1902.
The tracks of many Rails were seen in the soft marl at
Andros, but I could not say whether they were made by the
present species or not.
Jrom the Northern Bahamas. 309
I have carefully compared this specimen with a large series
of West Indian Rails in the British Museum, from which it is
very distinct, being much paler and more ashy grey.
84. PorzANA CAROLINA (Linn.).
Rallus carolinus Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. p. 363 (1763).
Porzana carolina (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 176
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 91 (1892).
3 ¢. Nassau, Bahamas, 14th & 30th December, 1901,
and 3rd March, 1902.
6. Little Abaco, lst April, 1902.
Not uncommon during the winter in suitable localities,
85. GALLINULA GALEATA (Licht.).
Gallinula galeata (Licht.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 177
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 91 (1892).
3S. Nassau, New Providence, 14th April, 1902.
This bird is probably more common than it appears to be.
as it is well known to the natives by the name of “ Red-headea
Coot.” Personally I only met with it on one occasion, when
it ran through the mangroves in front of me, but I could not
induce it to take to the wing.
+86. Porpnyriota Martinica (Linn.).
Porphyrio martinica (Liun.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p- 178 (1890).
Ionornis martinica (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 91
(1892).
o ad. Mangrove Cay, Andros, 16th December, 1901.
I never personally met with this species, which is evidently
a very scarce winter visitor,
87. Furica americana Gmel.
Fulica americana Gmel, Syst. Nat. i. p. 704 (1788); Cory,
Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 178 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p- 91 (1892).
gad. Nassau, New Providence, 17th December, 1901.
A very abundant resident, to be found on all the inland
lagoons, the numbers being greatly augmented every winter.
They are not easily driven away from any lake on which they
38lo Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
have scttled, and many are shot every winter by parties
walking up and down a small lake, the birds merely flying
from end to end, while the Ducks depart after the first
shot.
-88. Pu@nicorrervs RuBER Linn,
Phenicopterus ruber Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 139 (1758) ;
Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 180 (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p. 88 (1892).
6 ¢ 2 ad. Turner Sound, Andros, 25th January, 1902,
9 ad. Grassy Creek, Andros, 16th May, 1902.
Although by no means numerous and very local, this
species continues to be found in some numbers on Inagna and
Andros. I could not ascertain for certain whether it still exists
at Abaco, but the balance of evidence is in fayour of the fact.
I visited the breeding-places at Andros, but the birds had not
begun to nest properly ; there were, by calculation, 1500
nests occupied in one colony in 1898. And we also calcu-
lated that we must have seen from 1500 to 2000 birds on
one day in the various flocks we came across. ‘The natives
take toll of the young birds in July, and I was told that
they capture the adults in August, when they are moulting
their primaries and are incapable of flight; but I cannot
vouch for the truth of this last statement.
The nests, which are placed in close proximity to each
other, are from 12 to 18 inches in height and 9 inches across
at the top—slightly more at their bases. They are built at the
- edge of the water on the soft mud, which is scooped up from
round their bases, and when completed weigh between 50 and
60 pounds,
~+89. DEenpRocycNnA ARBOREA (Linn.).
Anas arborea Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 207 (1766).
Dendrocygna arborea (linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. p. 188
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 87 (1892).
6629. Fresh water, Andros, 28th January, 1902.
This Duck cannot be called very numerous, but it was
often seen along the west coast of Andros, generally in small
parties of from six to ten.
Jrom the Northern Bahamas. 311
~+- 90. Marrca americana (Gmel.).
Anas americana Gmel. Syst. Nat. ii. p. 526 (1788).
3S ?. Spanish Wells, Andros, 22nd January, 1902.
This species, which has not hitherto been recorded from
these islands, was only met with on one occasion. The birds
were frequenting a small inland pond entirely surrounded
by high mangroves and covered at the bottom with weed,
a very unusual thing in the ponds of these islands.
4. 91. Darita Banamensts (Linn.),
~ Anas bahamensis Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. p. 199 (1766).
Dafila hahamensis (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 185
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 86 (1892).
36 2. Spanish Wells, Andros, 22nd January, 1902.
663%. Wide Opening, Andros, 24th January, 1902.
3. Fresh water, Andros, 28th January, 1902.
3. Grassy Creek, Andros, 12th May, 1902.
A very numerous species in suitable localities, large flocks
of one hundred or more being generally found near the large
and tall mangrove islands standing in the middle of the
lagoons. ‘The orange patch at the base of the bill varies
greatly in colour.
~- 92. QueRQuEDULA Discors (Linn.).
Querquedula discors (Miun.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed.
p- 186 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 86 (1892).
?. Fresh water, Andros, 27th January, 1902.
This solitary individual was the only example of the species
met with; it does not appear to be common.
+93. FULIGULA ArriInis Eyton.
Fuligula affinis Eyton, Mon, Anat. p. 157 (1888) ; Cory,
Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 187 (1890).
Aythya affinis (Eyton) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 87
(1892).
36 ¢. Nassau, New Providence, 17th December, 190}.
?. Fresh water, Andros, 28th January, 1902.
The commonest Duck of the islands, enormous flocks
312 Mr. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
congregating on the lakes and lagoons, especially after a storm,
They come in November and are almost all gone by March.
[PeLrcanus ruscus Linn.
Although I procured no specimens of this bird, it was
frequently seen flying singly along the west coast of Andros
and at Abaco. JI tried in vain to discover a breeding-station
at Andros, and was taken to several supposed sites, but I
fancy that one is to be found on the N.W. coast. ]
-|-94, PHaLacrocorax FLoRIDANUS Aud,
Phalacrocorax jfloridanus Aud. Orn. Biogr. ili. p. 887
(1837).
Graculus dilophus, var. floridanus (Aud.); Cory, Bds. Bah.
2nd ed. p. 198 (1890).
Phalacrocorax dilophus floridanus Aud.; Cory, Cat. W.
Ind. Bds. p. 85 (1892).
6. Wide Opening, Andros, 31st January, 1902.
This species is not common, but was occasionally seen
along the west coast of Andros. I visited a colony in one
of the channels that intersect the island; there were eight
or ten pairs of birds and nests to correspond, but either
they had not begun to lay (on the 2nd of February) or their
nests had been robbed by passing spongers.
95. TacHYPETES Aquitus (Linn.).
Pelecanus aquilus Linn, Syst. Nat. 1. p. 183 (1758).
Tachypetes aquilus (Linn.) ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 200
(1890).
Fregata aquila (Linn.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 85
(1892).
gad. Little Abaco, 23rd March, 1902.
3 fd imm. 5 30th March, 1902.
Although frequently seen at sea, these birds are generally
well out of shot. The specimens that I secured were got as
they came down to a freshwater pond to bathe. They arrived
nearly every morning in small parties of from six to ten and
splashed into the water like Swallows, never settling, but rising
again and in about three or four minutes going off to sea.
from the Northern Bahamas. 313
In May they visit the Tern-colonies and commit great havoc
among the eggs.
[ PHAETHON FLAVIROSTRIS.
Not often seen, and generally well out at sea when
observed. |
96. Larus atricitya (Linn.).
Larus atricilla Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 186 (1758) ; Cory,
Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 208 (1890); id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 82
(1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 519.
6. Washerwoman Cays, Andros, 10th May, 1902.
6. Grassy Creek, Andros, 12th May, 1902.
A fairly common summer-visitor, appearing about the
latter half of April. I came across a pair, which were
evidently breeding, some ten miles from the sea at Andros,
but I had no time to search for the nest.
97. SterNA ANGLICA Montagu.
Sterna anglica Montagu, Orn. Dict. Suppl. (1813) ; Cory,
Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 269 (1890).
Geochelidon nilotica (Hasselq.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds.
p- 82 (1892).
6 2? %. Grassy Creek, Andros, 5th, 7th, & 11th May,
1902.
At the time of my visit to Grassy Creek in May these birds
were numerous, and evidently preparing to nest ; but, judging
by those shot, I do not think that they had begun to lay,
98. STERNA Maxima Bodd.
Sterna maxima Bodd. 'Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 58 (1783); Cory,
Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 82 (1892).
Sterna regia Gambel; Cory, Bds. Bah. p. 210 (1890).
36 6%. Washerwoman Cays, Andros, Ist May, 1902.
66 2 ¢. Grassy Creek, Andros, 7th May, 1902.
This fine Tern was by no means rare on the cays, being
generally seen in pairs. They showed no signs of nesting.
99. Sterna cantTiaca (Gmel.).
Sterna cantiaca Gmel.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 211
(1890).
314 My. J. L. Bonhote on Birds
Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida (Cabot) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind.
Bds. p. 82 (1892).
48,39. Washerwoman Cays, Andros, 1st May, 1902.
The Sandwich Tern was numerous round the cays on
our first arrival, but by the middle of May they had all
departed, except about two pairs, which probably intended
to breed.
100. STERNA ANTILLARUM (Less.).
Sterna superciliaris Vieill. ; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 218
(1890).
Sterna antillarum (Less.) ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 83
(1892) ; Bonhote, Ibis, 1899, p. 520.
3. Grassy Creek, Andros, 6th May, 1902.
Seen in single pairs on several occasions, but rare com-
pared with the numbers of the other species of Terus.
101. Sturna FuLicinosa Gmel.
Sterna fuliginosa Gmel. Syst. Nat. 1. p. 605 (1788) ; Cory,
Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 214 (1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 83
(1892).
2,3 9%. Washerwoman Cays, Andros, Ist May, 1902.
Nesting in thousands on the cays. Incubation commences
about the 15th of May, a fortnight later than the Noddies.
Hach bird lays a single egg.
+102. STERNA ANAZSTHETA Scop.
Sterna anositheta Scop.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 215
(1890).
_ Sterna anethetus Scop.; Cory, Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 83
(1892); Bangs, Auk, xvii. p. 284 (1900).
5 6,2 9. Washerwoman Cays, Andros, 3rd May, 1902.
Breeds in considerable numbers, but is very much scarcer
than either the Noddy or the Sooty.
With alittle practice this species can easily be distinguished
on the wing by its smaller size and greyish back; its cry
is also very distinct.
The single egg is always placed under an overhanging
ledge of rock, generally near the edge of the sea; but I took
from the Northern Bahamas. 315
quite a number of eggs deep down in holes similar to those
occupied by the Dusky Shearwater.
+103. Anovus stotipus Linn.
Anous stolidus (Linn.); Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 216
(1890) ; id. Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 83 (1892).
23,5 9. Washerwoman Cays, Andros, Ist May, 1902.
The most abundant of all the Terns. Incubation begins
early in May, when the eggs are laid indiscriminately under
bushes on the bare rock or on nests built on the bushes, the
structures, which are exposed, being much disturbed by Men-
of-War Birds. The parents are very tame, and in many cases
allow themselves to be lifted off their eggs.
1-104, Purrinus AUDUBON! Finsch.
Puffinus auduboni Finsch, P. Z. 8. 1872, p. 111; Cory,
Cat. W. Ind. Bds. p. 83 (1892).
Puffinus obscurus Gmel.; Cory, Bds. Bah. 2nd ed. p. 219
(1890).
9 3,49. Washerwoman Cays, Andros, 3rd May, 1902.
8 young.
This bird was extremely common on the cays, and at the
beginning of May the young were in most cases Just hatched,
though several fresh eggs were procured. I never saw the
birds outside of their holes, nor could I distinguish their cries
at night from those of the Sooties. Incubation is carried
on by both sexes, and before the egg is laid both birds
occupy the same hole. The parent apparently does not
brood the young, but merely sits beside it during the first
day or two of its existence, after which it is left alone during
the daytime.
316 Mr. C. D. Sherborn on
XXVIII.—WNote on P. Picot’s ‘Tables Méthodiques des
Mammiferes et des Oiseaux ...de la Haute Garonne’
By C, Davies SHerporn.
As the tract here cited appears from my observations to be
very scarce*, it may be thought advisable to reprint the
diagnoses of the few new species of birds founded therein
by Picot. There are no new species of mammals.
The full title of the tract reads as follows :—‘ Tables
Méthodiques | des | Mammiféres et des Oiseaux | observés |
dans le Département de la | Haute-Garonne, Par Philippe
Picot-Lapeyrouse, | Membre de l'Institut national, Pro-
fesseur | d’ Histoire naturelle a l’Ecole centrale ; | Imprimées
par ordre de ?Administration du | département de Ja Haute-
Garonne: | A Vusage des Eléves de Ecole centrale. | A
Toulouse, | De VImprimerie de Veuve Douladoure. | An
Wit cmtal7 99> Ov. avin, O4ue pel.
The author signs his ‘ Avertissement’ :—
PH PrCoOm:
A Lapeyrovuse, /e 1.* frimaire,
an VII de la République.
and this is here reproduced as showing his real name.
The following are the species founded by him :—
P. 10.—**5. L°-ALIMOCH. Pic. Encycl. Vultur alimoch.
Py rence sive
‘‘ Petite espéce, ainsi gue le suivant. Blanc sale.....
Plumes de ailes noires.... Jabot proéminent.... Téte,
céra et jabot couleur de safran. Prec. Encycl.”
* Mr. Sherborn writes to the Editors as follows :—
“When compiling my ‘Index Animalium’ I failed in my attempts
to obtain a sight of Picot’s ‘Tables Méthodiques.’ But since the
publication of the Index I have purchased a copy of the work at the
Gerbe sale in Paris, while I have found another copy in private hands.
It may, however, be worth while, for general ornithological purposes,
to reprint the diagnoses of 7 ‘‘new species” described in it, and I
hope that you will find space for this in your Journal,”
Picot’s ‘ Tables Méthodiques.’ 317
P.13.—“4. LA PIEGRIECHE succulente. Pic. Lanius escu-
lenius. Pie. Pyrén. Pl. vi.
“Rousse par-dessus, ondée de noir et de blanc.....
T.e dessous blanc sale rayé de noir transversalement....
Les pennes de la queue et des ailes noiratres liserées
de fauve..... Arrive au printemps, repart en au-
tomme; prend une graisse trés-délicate..... Habdite
dans les hautains et les oseraies.’’
P. 28.—“*6. LE TRAQUET montagnard. Motac. pyrenaica.
Pro; Pyreny Bi xvie
“Le plus grand de Passereaux, presque aussi gros
qu'un Merle.... Bec cylindrique un peu arqué vers
sa pointe.... Plumage uniforme d’un noir mal teint....
Poitrme brune.... Queue arrondie.... Dix pennes
blanches terminées de brun, et les deux du _ milieu
brunes seulement jusques a leur moitié.... VPieds noirs.
Picot, Mém. de ? Académ. de Toul. T. iv.”
P. 38.—“ *4. LE RALLO-MAROUET. Radlus miztus. Pic.
Pyrén. Pll xx.
“Plus petit encore que le Marouette.... Oiseau mi-
parti.... Composé du Rdle d’eau et de la Marouetie....
Serait-ce un Mulet?...... Le bec, les jambes et les
pieds comme dans la Marouette..... Les joues, la
gorge, le ventre bleudtres comme dans le dle deau.
Pic. Encycl. méth.”
P.42.—“5. LA BARGE aux pieds rouge. Scolopax rubripes.
Pic) Pyren:, Pl. xxii:
“Moins forte que la Barge commune.... Le dessus
gris cendré.... Le dessous blane de neige.... Jambes
et pieds rouge de cinnabre...... Bee a la naissance
courbé en en bas; a sa pointe en en haut. Pic. Mém.
de Stockh. Encycl. méth.”
P. 44.—“*6. LE HERON montagnard. Ardea monticola,
Pies Pyren. Pl. xxii,
“ Le plus gros de nos Hérons.... Téte rougeatre . 4
P. 45. —“ Les plumes du dessus du corps brunes bordécs de
318 Capt. F. W. Hutton on
FOMUSEALTE 2%. 20, a!'s Gorge blanche...... Cou antérieur,
poitrine et flancs roussitres avec des lignes noires.....
Ventre blanc.... Bec mi-parti de brun et de jaune....
Jambes jaunes; pieds noiratres par-dessus, jaunes en
dessous.... Le male a une petite huppe rougeatre....
Pic. Encycl. méth.”
P, 45.—“*8. LE CRABIER gentil. Ardea audax. Pic. Pyrén.
PIE xxiv.
—— CRABIER marron.
—— CRABIER roux. Burr.
GUACCO.
“Ce trois espéces doivent étre réduite a une seule....
Ce Crabier est de la grandeur de l’Aigrette.... Téte,
cou, poitrme et dos jaunes..... Aigrette longue et
pendante..... Ailes, queue “et ventre blane3...: ee
fort tres-aigu, -bleu ‘d’azur, noir a lar poimter. sa)...
Jambes et pieds couleur de chair. Pic. Mém. de
Stock. et Encycl. méth.”
The words “ Pic. Pyrén.” refer to ‘ Recherches sur la
Zoologie des Pyrénées, par Philippe PICOT. Figures
enluminées.... Ouvrage inédit, according to his
“ Explication des Abréviations.”’
XXIX.—WNote on the Genus Certhiparus.
By Captain F. W. Hurron, F.R.S.
Or the three birds included in the genus Certhiparus in the
‘Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.’ (vol. vin. p. 75), three different
views have been taken by ornithologists :—
I.—Lafresnaye, in 1840, placed C. albicillus and C. nove-
zealandie in one genus and C. ochrocephalus in another,
This view was followed by Gray, in the ‘ Zoology of the
Erebus and Terror’ (1848) and by Dr. Finsch in the ‘ Journ.
f. Orn.’ for 1843.
II.—In ‘The Ibis’ for 1862 Gray separated C. albicillus
from C. nove-zealandie, and included it in Orthonyx along
the Genus Certhiparus. 519
with C. ochrocephalus. This view has been followed by
Sir Walter Buller.
III.—In 1883 Dr. Gadow, in the ‘ Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.,’
included all three birds in the same genus,
A re-examination of these forms has convinced me that
Dr. Gadow is right in placing all three in the same
family, but that Gray and Buller are correct in separating
C. nove-zealandie from the others generically ; while I also
agree with Lafresnaye and Finsch that C. ochrocephalus and
C. albicillus cannot be kept in the same genus on account
of the great differences in their legs and feet. So, in my
opinion, each species should form a separate genus.
Next as to the names. ‘The type of Certhiparus is
C. albicillus, and this name must, therefore, be kept for that
species. For C. ochrocephalus the oldest name is Mohua of
Lesson (1837). Quoy and Gaimard had stated that the
Maori name of this species is Mohoua (which, however, was
a mistake), and Gray apparently altered the spelling to suit
his own views. I see no good reason for dropping Mohua in
favour of Clitonyx. For C. nove-zealandie we should have
had Phyllodytes of Finsch, but unfortunately that name is
preoccupied by Wagler (1830) in Batrachia, and by Gistel
(1848) in Reptilia; so that a new one must be substituted. I
therefore propose that this genus should be ca.led Finschia, in
honour of Dr. Otto Finsch, so well known as an ornithologist,
and one who has given us much help in New Zealand. My
scheme of classification is therefore as follows :—
Tail shorter than the wing, the shafts of the feathers
projecting.
Hind claw longer than the bill..........0se00 »» Mohua.
Hind claw: shorter, than the Dill 3 csc. ees on. one Certhiparus.
Tail as long as the wing, th» shafts of the feathers not
projecting...... CP ORAS cee OE ne eA Finschia.
In Mohua the tarsus has only three or four scutes
which are often fused into one, the divisions being obliterated ;
while in Certhiyarus there are five or six scutes, and the
divisions are neyer obliterated.
320 Capt. G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton on the
XXX.—Remarks on the Flight and Distribution of the Alba-
trosses of the North Pacific Ocean. By Capt. Grratp
E. H. Barretrr-Hamitton, F.Z.S.
I wave been much interested in reading Captain Hutton’s
paper on Albatrosses in ‘ The Lbis ’ for January (pp. 81 to 88),
inasmuch as I have had many opportunities of observing
the two species (Diomedea nigripes and D. albatrus) which
frequent the North Pacific Ocean. The following notes may
therefore be considered worth printing as a supplement to
that writer’s remarks.
Captain Hutton is much to be congratulated upon the
success of his photographs, a success which none can more
fully appreciate than those who, like myself, have wasted
plate after plate in the attempt to obtain a picture of the
flight of an Albatross.
The Black-footed Albatross, D. nigripes, called by the
sailors the “Gooney”* was a constant feature of a
voyage which I made from San Francisco to Yokohama in
June 1896, excepting only in latitudes south of 23° 29’ N.,
where it was very scarce. Again, when running north from
Hong Kong through the China Seas, in May 1897, I first
observed the Gooney on the 22nd of the month near the
Heachu Islands, where several were seen in about latitude
28° 41’ N., longitude 122°11/ E. A white-rumped individual
was noticed on the same day at a distance of about 44 hours
run from Wohsung, and another on the 23rd as we neared
- the Japanese coast. Northwards the range of this bird ends
far south of that of D. albatrus, and it can be but rarely
that it occurs in Kamschatkan waters. On my way south
from Petropavlosk to Hakodate, between the 31st of August
and the 7th of September, 1897, the first individual—one with
a white forehead—was not noticed until noon on the 8rd of
September. We were then somewhere off Staten Island, one
* The term “ Gooney” is, like other sailors’ names for birds, not
necessarily of very accurate application. Moseley applied it to one of the
large white Albatrosses (D. evulans). See ‘Notes of a Naturalist,’ &c.
new-ed. 1892, p. 148.
Flight and Distribution of Albatrosses. 321
of the Kurils, our position according to dead reckoning
being in latitude 45° 29’ N. and longitude 156° 16’ E. Later
in the voyage I occasionally saw a few more, and was in all
cases able to be quite certain of their identity. Again,
on the eastern side of the ocean, I found this species at sea
on most days during a voyage from Unalashka to Port
Townshend in October and November 1896. The most
northern point at which the bird appeared was when we
were a little less than two days out from Unalashka, say,
at nine knots, 400 miles from that port.
I was very much struck by these Geoneys, of which, during
our course from San Francisco to Honolulu, there seemed
to be an endless supply. It interested me to speculate
whether each part of the ocean, as suggested by the Captain
of the ‘ Peru,’ had its own set of them, quartering that
particular area alone for their daily food, so that our ship
merely chanced to pass them on her way, or whether those
which we saw followed us during the whole or a great part
of our course.
Undoubtedly certain individuals followed in our wake for
a distance of at least some miles, but it was not possible to
identify them for any greater distance. On the whole I am
inclined to adhere to the Captain’s supposition, always
admitting that individuals may occasionally wander from
their own waters and follow a ship for some distance.
Moseley, however, evidently thought differently, since he
wrote * of the ‘ various kinds of Petrels,’” which were “ our
constant companions in the Southern Ocean, following the
ship day after day, dropping behind at night to roost on the
water and tracking the ship up again in the early morning
by the trail of débris left in its wake.”
These Gooneys are dark and plainly coloured, but vary a
good deal in appearance—some being entirely dusky, while
others have either the forehead, vent, rump, or under tail-
coverts white. ‘They are very powerful fliers, and in this
respect are only inferior to the larger Albatrosses, which are
not met with in the North Pacific. They circle around a
* Op. cit. p. 494.
SER. VIII.— VOL. III. "2
322 Capt. G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton on the
ship with very little apparent exertion, occasionally alighting
in order to examine something thrown overboard which
strikes their fancy. Biscuit, however, they seem not to
care for in the slightest, treating it with utter contempt.
We often used to wonder how so many large birds managed
to get their living at sea, for although they were constantly
on the look out, it was very seldom that we saw them feed.
To the flying fishes, which sometimes passed quite close to
them, they paid no attention, and their whole sustenance
seemed to be derived from the refuse thrown from the ship.
When this contained anything suitable to their tastes they
rapidly gathered together from all sides and alighted on the
water, a squabbling gang of feathered scavengers. When
swimming they sit very high in the water, and rise without
difficulty, unless gorged. If intending to move only for a
few yards they have a curious habit of literally walking on
the surface, opening their wings, yet not flying, and pre-
ferring to make use of their large webbed feet to help
themselves along. So, too, when about to alight on the
ocean, their feet, suddenly thrown forward like those of
a duck, ave the first part of them to touch the water.
Then, if not satisfied with the place which they have at first
chosen, they will “walk” on further to a better place
without taking the trouble to rise fully into the air.
In flight the legs are carried, like those of so many other
sea-birds, stretched straight backwards under the tail.
Behind this the feet project and give the bird the
appearance of possessing two central tail-feathers longer
than the remainder. The legs are frequently moved as if to
act as a rudder or to lessen the bird’s pace—for example,
when descending.
When the wind is strong the flight of the Gooney must
be very powerful, as, even in the light breezes which we
experienced, the wings were but seldom flapped. With a
north-easterly wind, the ship’s course being north-west, the
individuals seen kept constantly circling round and round
behind her stern, first sailing up, then down the wind, but
making a rather sharp turn at the north-east and south-west
Flight and Distribution of Albatrosses. 323
ends of their course. Thus they avoided the necessity of
crossing the wind for any distance. When they did cross
the wind they seemed to find it necessary to flap their wings,
usually at the points of their course where they turned to
run up-wind. At the other end of their beat, when
turning to run down-wind, wing-action was apparently
unnecessary, since the wind itself supplied all the impetus
required. When travelling against the wind the Gooneys
seemed to ascend or descend by inclining the body upwards
or downwards *. When descending, as the first officer of the
ship pointed out to me, by slightly flexing their wings, they
perform an act equivalent to shortening sail. When thus
circling round in rear of the ship they often assumed an
attitude with the wings pointing vertically upwards and
downwards. ‘They possessed a wonderful power of dodging
the waves, shooting upwards at once when a bigger wave
than usual rose in front of them; but they often passed so
close over the surface that once or twice I saw the wing
which happened to be undermost actually cutting the water
for a few yards, yet without impeding the flight of the bird
in the slightest.
The second species, Steller’s Albatross (D. albatrus), is
much less active. I first met with it in Hakodate Harbour
on the 3rd of July, 1896. There one or two young birds in
the dark plumage of immaturity + and with the bill flesh-
coloured were generally to be seen, most of them apparently
gorged with food. When in this state they seemed to have
some difficulty in risimg from the water and made free use of
their legs in the attempt. When first seen, the dark imma-
ture birds of this species are rather likely to be confounded
with adults of D. nigripes, but they are larger and darker and
have the bill pink, and if carefully studied are found to
fly in a style that is quite their own. They are most
frequently to be seen sitting upon the water, and only rise
and fly lazily away on the too near approach of a vessel.
* On this point my notes, copied from my original journal, differ from
those of Captain Hutton.
+ Seebohm, Ibis, 1890, p. 105, says that the dark form is a dimorphism.
¥2
324 Mr. S. Merrill on Birds
I never saw them following a ship like D. niyripes, and so
have never had an opportunity of admiring their flight at
close quarters. Their range seems to extend much further
to the north than that of the other species, as I found them
in Ukinsk Bay, Kamschatka, in latitude nearly 60° N., and
adults were constantly in view on most days during a voyage
from Petropavlosk to Hakodate between the 31st of August
and the 6th of September. The Diomede Islands in Bering’s
Straits seem to have been named after this bird. On the
other hand, I have observed it nearly as far south as the
““Gooney ”; thus I saw an adult on the 23rd of May, 1897,
when nearing the Japanese coast on my way from Shanghai,
and another on the previous day, at a distance of about 43
hours run from Wohsung, on the voyage to Japan.
On the eastern side of Bering’s Sea this species is found
in the neighbourhood of the Pribiloff Islands *, but I did not
notice it on the voyage from Unalashka to Port Townshend
in the end of October 1896.
XXXI.—On Birds new to Palestine. By Stran Merritt,
Andover, Mass., U.S.A.T
Amone the 2,000 birds which I collected while in Pales-
tine, from 1882 to 1886, there are several which, so far
as I know, are new to that country, and hence they should
be added to the list of those already known. Dr. Tristram’s
catalogue (in the ‘ Fauna and Flora of Palestine’) is the
one followed, and to this the additions are supposed to be
made.
(1) Brambling—Fringilla montifringilla.
* Mr. William Palmer’s “The Avifauna of the Pribiloff Islands” in
‘The Fur Seals and Fur Seal Islands of the North Pacific,’ Washington,
Government Printing Office, 1899, pp. 381, 382.
+ Reprinted from the ‘ Quarterly Statement’ of the Palestine
Exploration Fund, January 1890, pp. 41-45. [We have thought it
advisable to reprint this article, as it seems to have quite escaped the
notice of ornithologists, and is of considerable interest.—EDp. |
new to Palestine. S25
(2) Cuckoo, Lineated—Cuculus leptodetus*. An eastern
form of a West-African bird.
(3) Curlew, Slender-billed— Numenius tenuirostris.
(4) Duck, Golden-eye—Clangula glaucion.
(5) Duck, Common Sheldrake —Tadorna vulpanser.
(6) Phalarope, Red-necked—Phalaropus hyperboreus.
(7) Plover, White-tailed— Chettusia leucura.
(8) Pratincole, Nordmann’s—Glareola melanoptera.
(9) Yellow-ammer—Fmberiza citrinella.
It may be of interest also if I make a few additions to his
list, following the same order, chiefly as to the localities of
birds. In two or more instances I was fortunate enough to
obtain specimens which he has entered in his list, but which
he did not identify himself.
No. 6. Rock Thrush—Monticola sazxatilis.
Tristram.— It arrives in the beginning of April. South
of Lebanon it is only a passing traveller tarrying but a
night.”
Addition.—It is true that it arrives in April, and in some
seasons as early as March; but to the last part of his
statement I would add that between the 10th and the 30th
of September I shot several pairs in the immediate vicinity
of Jerusalem.
No. 28. White-throated Robin—Erithacus guttural.
Tristram.—*< Discovered on Hermon and Lebanon.”
Addition.—Near Jerusalem in August, 1885, I shot a fine
specimen of the female of this species.
No. 30. Eastern Nightingale—Erithacus philomela.
Tristram.—* Not obtained by me in Palestine. It may
be discovered there.”
* { Cuculus leptodetus Cab. et Heine (Mus. Hein. iv. p. 34), based on
specimens from “ Nubia,” is placed by Capt. Shelley (Cat. B. xix. p. 244)
as a synonym of C. gularis Steph.—a well-known South-African species
nearly allied to C. canorus, which occurs also in West Africa, and
(according to the B. M. Catalogue) in East Africa as far north as Lado
on the Nile. It might, therefore, visit Palestine in summer, as is the
case with other East-African birds, but we know of no other authority for
its doing so except Mr. Merrill’s statement.—EDp., |
326 My. S. Merrill on Birds
Addition—I have three good specimens, one shot in
August near Jerusalem, and the others shot in the Jordan
Valley.
No. 68. Hermit Fantail—Drymaca inquieta.
Tristram.—“ It is very scarce wherever found.”
Addition.—I should say that it was quite common, for ‘I
saw it frequently on different journeys to and from the
Jordan Valley. On this road I shot several specimens in
November, also one near Jerusalem in September.
No. 90. Palestine Bulbul—Pycnonotus xanthopygus.
Tristram.— Never found in the hills or upper country.”
Addition.—I1 shot several at Hebron, which is 400 feet
higher than Jerusalem.
No. 94. Red-backed Shrike—Lanius collurio.
Tristram.— I have not obtained it south of Esdraelon.”’
Addition.—I have shot specimens in the hills near Es Salt,
also others in the hilly region between Jerusalem and the
Plain of Sharon.
No. 109. Palestine Sun Bird—Cinnyris osee.
Tristram.—< Beyond the gorge of the Jordan I never but
once found it, and that was at the south of Mount Carmel.”
Addition —This bird, or a species of Sun Bird, is abundant
at Jaffa. The markings of those found at Jaffa differ from
those found in the Jordan Valley, and I have shot them
both in the spring and autumn at both these places.
Whether or not these are distinct species I do not now
pretend to determine.
No. 111. Serm—Serinus hortulanus.
Tristram.—“ Is only a winter visitor to the wooded
districts and the little glens near the sea. It has not been
noticed inland.”
Addition—In January and February, 1885, these birds
were very abundant about Jerusalem, and at different times
during those two months I shot a dozen specimens.
No. 118. Tristram’s Serin—Serinus canonicus.
Tristram.— Belongs to the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon
new to Palestine. 327
exclusively. I cannot trace it on any of the spurs south-
wards, either from Hermon or Lebanon, and there it is very
local.”
Addition.—On the 7th of March, 1885, I shot a beautiful
specimen about half-an-hour distant from Jerusalem, near
the Convent of the Cross.
No. 116. Hawfinch—Coccothraustes vulgaris.
Tristram. Only twice detected it, once in Gilead and
once near Tabor.”
Addition.—I have three specimens, one from east of the
Jordan, and two from the neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
No. 139. Grakle—Amydrus tristrami Sclater.
Tristram.—< Appears to be confined to the immediate
neighbourhood of the Dead Sea.”
Addition—This bird ascends the Great Wadies to a
higher point than these words seem to imply. In the upper
part of the Wady Farah, and in Wady Suweinit, not
far from Mukhmas, I have frequently seen it in large
numbers.
No. 167. Night Jar—Caprimulgus tamaricis.
Tristram.—‘ Only three specimens known.”
Addition —I have a beautiful specimen, which I obtained
at Jericho in December.
No. 193. Montagu’s Harrier—Circus cineraceus.
Tristram.—* Not often come under my observation.
Obtained three specimens by the Lake of Galilee.’’
Addition—I obtained two specimens near Jaffa in
November, 1885, and one in the Jordan Valley in April,
1886.
No. 197. African Buzzard—Buteo desertorum.
Tristram.—*‘'This may probably be entered among the
birds of Palestine, though I have never obtained a specimen.”
Addition.—I have three good specimens, one of which was
obtained near Mar Saba, and the others in the Jordan Valley.
One of these was taken in December, and the others in
April. As Dr. Tristram says that it has never been found
328 Mr. S. Merrill on Birds
in Palestine, I am glad to be able to bring it to the attention
of the public.
No. 203. Booted Eagle—Aguila pennata.
Tristram.— Appears to be confined to the wooded regions
of Galilee and Pheenicia, and to the Lebanon.”
Addition—I shot a fine specimen near Jerusalem in
May 1886.
No. 226. Pygmy Cormorant—Phalacrocorax pygmeus.
Tristram.—* Found on the Leontes and other streams
flowing into the Mediterranean. I did not observe it on the
Lake of Galilee.”
Addition.—I obtained several specimens from the Jordan
near Jericho.
No. 236. Little Bittern—Ardetta minuta.
Tristram.— Plentiful in the rushes and reeds round
Lake Huleh.”
Addition.—Plentiful also on the Anjeh, near Jaffa, and
on the Lower Jordan.
No. 237. Night Heron—Nycticorazr griseus.
Tristram.—< Found in small numbers about Lake Huleh
and Gennesaret.”’
Addition.—Al|so on the Lower Jordan.
No. 251. Ruddy Sheldrake— Tadorna casarca.
Tristram.—* At the south end of the Dead Sea, and near
the Lake of Gennesaret.”
Addition.—They are just as abundant at the north end of
the Dead Sea, and are found all along the Jordan.
No. 257. Garganey—Anas circia.
Tristram.— I have not taken the Garganey myself.”
Addition.—I have four fine specimens from the Jordan,
one of them shot in November, one in December, and two
in May.
No. 294. Stone-Curlew—Cidicnemus scolopax.
Tristram.—«< Plentiful in the Ghor at the north end of
the Dead Sea.”
new to Palestine. 329
Addition.—I saw it frequently in the region about Mar
Saba, and in the hills east of the Jordan. I haye specimens
from both these localities, and others from the vicinity of
Beirut, as well as still others from the north end of the
Dead Sea. I should say it was pretty evenly distributed
over the country.
No. 296. Cream-coloured Courser—Cursorius gallicus.
Tristram.—< Rare in Palestine proper. I twice obtained
it near Acre; I also saw it in the southern wilderness, and
on the upland of Eastern Moab.”
Addition.—Very abundant between Jerusalem and Beth-
lehem on the Plain of Rephaim and south-east towards
Mar Saba.
No. 305. Dotterel—EHudromias morinellus.
Tristram.—< Vast flocks near Beer-Sheba.”’
Addition.—I found them near Mar Saba in May, 1885.
No. 344. Manx Shearwater—Puffinus anglorum.
Tristram.— Obtained a dead specimen near Mount
Carmel.”
Addition.—I have two fine specimens, obtained at Jaffa in
1884.
I have observed, during my residence of nearly seven years
in Palestine, that there were great variations in the migrations
of birds. Some years the land was full of them, and the
next year, perhaps, there seemed to be very few. For
example, I remember that for two years there were but few
Ducks anywhere in the southern part of the country; the
next year, however, they were very abundant. What
Dr. Tristram says of the Dotterel, No. 305, may have been
peculiar to that year. The same I know is true of my
observation under No. 296, respecting the Cream-coloured
Coursers. In other years, while found here and there, they
were scarce; the year referred to they were abundant.
The Arabs brought to our hotel large numbers of them for
our table. Similar remarks would be true of Quails, and of
some other birds. Seasons vary in character and circum-
stances which we cannot explain, and may combine to cause
330 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
these variations. As I have had occasion elsewhere to
remark, this is a study where there can be no monopoly of
knowledge on the part of any single observer. Many
observers are necessary, and each may add something
valuable to the general fund of information.
XXXII.—On the Birds of Fernando Po.
By Boyp Atexanper, F.Z.S., Rifle Brigade.
(Plates VI#,-IX.)
Page
Part) <0; Introductory Remiarkdi5 1. 02026 dew sldoe 330
» IL. List of the Species of which specimens were
obtained, with Field-Notes .............. 340
‘4, II. List of the Species recorded by previous Authors,
specimens of which were not obtained...... 399
5, IV. Ornithological Bibliography of Fernando Po .. 402
Part I.—Invrropuctory ReMaRKs.
Havine completed in July last my ornithological survey
of the Gold Coast and its hinterland, I determined to turn
my attention to Fernando Po, the largest island of the
Benin group. Although it had been previously explored
by Louis Fraser, Naturalist to the Allen and Thomson
Expedition to the Niger, in 1841, and by Mr. Newton,
the Portuguese collector, in 1894, I had hopes of making
further additions to the known fauna of the island. But
the mountainous nature of Fernando Po, the lack of all roads
‘in the interior, the form and nature of the Government,
the great dearth of labour, and the evil reputation of the
island for health constitute formidable difficulties to any
scientific expedition.
It was, therefore, not without some misgiving that I left
Liverpool in September last, in company with my Portuguese
collector, Mr. Lopes, to explore this island; but I trusted to
my two years’ experience on the West Coast to pull me
through. At Sierra Leone I had my first disappointment ;
I found it quite impossible to get carriers. No better
success awaited me at Monrovia and at Cape Coast. At
Ibis, 1903, Pl Vie
O} 12°54 L.E.de Madrid,
GULF or eho
Bahia
St. Isabel.
oBeach,
%
ae Kfeabel,
Ses Tey
—~--— Route of Lrevur. Borp ALEXANDER,
——-— + » Me. Lorzs.
ww Extent of Cultivation.
Roman numerals represent Camps.
9° « 67307
Bahia de St. Carlos
West Bay.
pte te
FERNANDO Po
FROM THE MAP
BY THE
Roman Cartuouic Fatuers
ON THE ISLAND.
With corrections and additions by
Lizut. Boyp ALEXANDER.
ATLANTIC
= OCEAN >< <a
JUNE 1901.
0 10 20 30Kilom.
MAP OF FERNANDO Po.
Birds of Fernando Po. 331
Sekondi, a goodly hoard of Lagos natives, some 400 in
number, who had been working on the Kumassi Railway,
came on board. Here, I thought, was my opportunity, but not
one of them would dream of coming. They had abundance of
money and only thought of getting home. And, besides, the
very name of Fernando Po was enough. The West-African
native has a wholesome dread of this island, where in the past
he has been badly treated, especially by the natives of Sierra
Leone, who own a large number of the cocoa-farms there.
At Old Calabar, however, where we stayed for five days,
Sir Ralph Moor, the High Commissioner, very kindly came
forward and supplied me with Government carriers.
A two days’ run from Calabar brought us to Fernando Po,
where, on the evening of Oct. 27th, 1902, we dropped anchor.
Unlike the Canary Islands, with their volcanic aspects
sprinkled with the green of short-lived grass, Fernando Po
rises from the sea with lofty hills clothed to their summits
with thick bush and virgin forest. Its northern portion is
by far the more mountainous, culminating in a peak known
as the Clarence Peak, or by the older name Pico Santa
Isabel, which attains an altitude of 10,800 feet. In the
southern portion the country is more open, with fertile
valleys overgrown with long grass, while a series of mineral
lakes and springs exist on the higher levels. The coast-line
is flat and much indented with creeks and bays, which afford
good landing-places for the numerous cocoa-farms on the
island. The dotted portion on the accompanying map
(Plate VI*.) shews the extent of cultivation, which consists of
a belt about two miles in width round the island. Along the
coast-line are numerous cocoa-farms, which are in the hands
of English and Spanish traders. Coffee is also cultivated to
a small extent, while plantains, bananas, manioc, and yams
form the food of the natives. Further towards the interior,
on the edge of the belt near the wooded hills, are small scat-
tered villages of wooden huts belonging to the natives. Beyond
this coast-belt there is thick forest intersected by tracks made
by the native hunters. There are no roads—only small paths
between the villages.
332 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
The only communication between the different farms on
the island and Santa Isabel is by means of surf-boats, which
are manned by West-African natives, chiefly from Sierra
Leone and the Kru coast.
The approach to the island by the steamer is from the
north, and as one drops anchor in the beautiful little bay
of Santa Isabel the lofty peak confronts the traveller,
towering above the harbour. In the distance to the left,
its taller sister, the Cameroon Peak, also clothed with forest-
growth, is visible even down to the white-walled houses of
Victoria, which nestles at its base.
On Oct. 28th I landed at Santa Isabel, which presented a
scene of much bustle and activity. It was the cocoa-season,
and strings of carriers with bags upon their backs were
journeying to and from the landing-stage. Throughout the
day I was busy getting my baggage together and taking
in stores for an early start up-country on the morrow.
Trade-goods—such as beads, tobacco, rum, gunpowder, and
clothes,—besides bags of rice for the carriers, had to be taken,
and this greatly increased the work of transport. Much.
assistance was given to me by Mr. Couch, of the well-known
trading-firm of Messrs. Holt. The Governor, the Marquis
Mountifuerte, also showed himself gracious and allowed all
the baggage to pass free of custom-duties: this was a
distinct advantage, since the duties are heavy.
At 5.80 a.m. on Oct. 29th our column of twenty-five men
was on the move. This quick departure greatly surprised
~ all the natives, who said “it must mean business.” It was
a fortunate thing that we arrived with carriers, as there
was not a labourer to be had on the island—a curious state
of things in a country so fertile and so full of possibilities.
But the natives, known as Edeeyahs or Boobies, are ex-
cessively indolent, and nothing will induce them to work for
any length of time. They are a feeble people and form a
strange contrast to other West-African races. Of short
stature, abdominous and spindle-shanked, and with broad
furtive faces, they create anything but a favourable im-
pression. Their dirt is undescribable ; they seldom wash, but
Birds of Fernando Po. 333:
scrape themselves with small knives, which are attached to their
left upper arms for that purpose by a string band. Horrible
deformities are also produced by hempen bands about six
inches in width, which are fixed tight round the upper arms
and below the knees. By way of adornment, they frequently
plaster their bodies, faces, and hair with clay, dyed red with
a leaf of a tree indigenous to the island. Patterns are often
indulged in. It was quite a common thing to see tiny babies
on their mothers’ backs literally coated with this clay.
Heavy necklaces, bracelets, and anklets of beads deftly
woven together in alternate bands of colour are worn—red,
yellow, and blue being the most favoured colours. These
ornaments sometimes consist of a very small pointed land-
shell. It is treated in the same way as the beads, and
shews rank in the wearer. Before the introduction of
trade-goods these shells were the current coin in the island,
just as cowries were with the West-Coast natives. Little
clothing is worn, except a loin-cloth of the scantiest descrip-
tion, In many cases replaced at the posterior by a tail of
twisted cloth. A flat circular hat of woven grass, with a
small pepper-pot crown, is worn, secured to the hair by a
wooden skewer; this is often decorated with the skin of a
small tree-squirrel and the blue pimion-feathers of a large
Plantain-eater (Corytheola cristata).
Although it was now towards the end of the rainy season,
the rains were still heavy. The native track along which we
journeyed was slippery, and everything dripped with moisture.
We were soon drenched through, and it was with difficulty
that we could keep our guns dry. Our progress was slow,
never more than two miles an hour, the carriers frequently
slipping and stumbling, while in many places the path had
to be cleared of undergrowth. At times it debouched into
open glades, where birds mustered strongly, revelling in
the bright sunlight, which seintillated on the delicate pink-
tinted leaves of the cocoa-plants, and, where the ground
sloped down from the wooded hills to cultivated land, inter-
spersed with palms and mighty cotton-trees, with their
colossal branches in pale contrast to the blue background of
334 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
distant sea. About midday, after a tiring trek, we reached
Basupu, a small Boobie-village, where we pitched our camp.
While on the road we had collected a dozen specimens, the
skinning and making up of which kept us busy for the rest
of the afternoon. Our camp was prettily situated just above
a stream, the noise of which we constantly heard. There is
no lack of water on the island. We continually had to cross
deep ravines, down which water, sparkling and clear, flowed
from the hills.
At Ribola, our next camp, we met with some difficulty at
the hands of the natives. After a tiring march through
thick bush, we arrived towards sundown at this Boobie-village,
which consisted of small oblong huts scattered among plan-
tations of yam. These dwellings are made of wooden slabs
driven upright ito the ground and roofed with palm-leaves.
The low doorways, through which the natives crawl, are closed
by slabs in the same way as our pig-pounds. Our advent
became the signal for a general helter-skelter of the owners
into the long grass and bush. Mothers caught up their
children as they ran, while the men stared at us and then
tailed off to neighbouring huts, jabbering the whole way like
a string of geese. The night was perfect. Palm-trees,
with their tops silvered by the moon, reared their trunks
from masses of tall fish-cane growing round our camp. Small
mice crossed and recrossed the narrow paths without dis-
turbing the silence, which now and again was broken by
the rustling of grass-cane being pushed aside, and black
faces would peer out the next moment to catch a glimpse of
me as I sat enjoying my last pipe before bedtime. Not
long afterwards an uproar of fowls being caught in neigh-
bouring bushes made it clear to me that we were not going
to be trusted. Early next morning (Nov. 1) we struck our
camp, and were glad to get away from this dirty village.
The natives followed us for some distance, and, thinking they
had seen the last of us, gradually melted away into the bush.
I then doubled back and took a native track going almost
due south into the wooded hills, where we stayed collecting
for a couple of days; but the natives, gathering together under
Birds of Fernando Po. 339
their king and queen, objected to our going any further.
It was, they said, their hunting or “beef” country, and
no white man. was fit to get to the big hill. They told my
carriers many tales, for instance that a big river lived up in the
mountain, and anyone who crossed it would die. All these
stories were readily believed, and signs of intending desertion
on the part of several carriers induced me to return the same
way as I had come, our column being followed by a howling
mob up to within a mile of Sipopo, where they again vanished.
I subsequently learned that the natives of this district had
been roughly handled by the Spanish troops, and this ac-
counted for their unfriendly attitude towards the white man.
The appearance of our big column aroused their suspicions,
and, having no interpreter, we were quite unable to enlighten
them as to the nature of our mission.
At Sipopo we occupied a cocoa-planter’s house and
stayed there making collections for several days. This gave
a much-needed rest to our carriers. As soon as daylight
came, about half-past five, my collector and I used to start
off with a couple of carriers and follow one of the native paths
into the bush. As a rule, we obtained during the morning’s
trek about 13 or 14 specimens, and with these we returned
to camp, but were out again collecting in the evening. Our
average take was between 18 and 20 birds a day. On one
occasion, during a trek, we were suddenly startled by the
sound of a stampede into the bush, just like the noise a flock
of sheep make in getting through some obstacle, followed the
next moment by a weird howl of voices like the whines of
many dogs in unison. We again passed this spot on our
return home. No one was visible, but our track was followed
all the same. From time to time the loud report of guns
came from behind. The Boobies, emboldened by our retreat,
had followed us like an angry flock of geese, firing their
guns at a respectful distance to frighten us. It would take
too long here to record all our adventures with these curious
people, so we must pass on to our camp at Bakaki, whence
our first serious attempt to ascend the Peak was made. On
the way I was fortunate enough to obtain the services of a
336 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
young Boobie-boy, named John, as guide and interpreter,
from Mr. Barleycorn, of the Protestant Mission near Lakha.
The Bakaki country is inhabited by a race that speaks a
different dialect, and is distinguishable by tribal marks on
the face, and these people proved more friendly to us. It is
a remarkable fact, but there are no less than five distinct tribal
groups on the island. The Edeeyah is a very stay-at-home
creature. Many old men that we met with had never gone
beyond their own villages all their lives, The mountainous
and enclosed nature of the country, with its lack of commu-
nication, has no doubt been the cause of these tribal separa-
tions. As we passed each village our column gathered in
strength, the principal men of the village preceding us as
guides. Each had a small hollow-necked gourd with a
hole at the rounded end, and this was used as a flute ;
it can be heard at a great distance. Long before a
village came in sight a musical dialogue used to be carried
on, telling the inhabitants all about us and our coming.
We toiled through the villages surrounded by natives,
all eager to gain a sight of a white man, while some, less
brave, eyed the column through the chinks in their huts.
At Bakaki the natives again crowded round us; they
watched, with open-eyed wonder, my tent being pitched, but
what surprised and baffled them more than anything else
was the opening and putting up of my camp-bed. They
shewed themselves friendly enough, presenting us with
fowls, for which they expected double their value in return ;
but when I asked for guides to take me up the big mountain,
they became sullen and refused to help me. So long as we
kept to the low ground they did not mind, but they did not
want us to go into their “ beef”’ country and build houses
there. However, I determined to go without them, and
with the help of my prismatic compass I struck the right
direction. All our provisions and water had to be carried
with us, and after a two days’ climb and cutting our way
through thick bush, I reached a height of nearly 8000 feet.
Here was formed the nucleus of our collection, which included
the majority of the new and rare species.
Birds of Fernando Po. 337
Hard work and the continual wearing of wet clothes
soon began to tell upon us. My collector was the first to be
threatened with fever, and I was reluctantly compelled to
hurry down to Bakaki, where he fell ill. On my return, the
Boobies could not disguise their satisfaction at the failure of
my plans, and more palm-wine than ever was drank that
night. Beyond the cultivation of their yams, these natives
think of nothing else except to gather palm-wine—or “ topi,”
as they call it—and palm-oil, which they exchange with the
white traders for rum and tobacco. As regularly as clock-
work the village is deserted towards the evening, and
families troop down with calabashes to the palm-trees to
gather the precious wine. To keep a Boobie away from his
palm-wine for a single day is to make him a wretched man.
After a halt of two days, my collector, although weak, was
well enough to travel, and we accordingly pushed on to
Bilelipi, where I determined to attempt the ascent of the
mountain once more. By the large bribe of a keg of gun-
powder, two hunters were at length induced to agree to guide
us up to the top of the hill. Much talk ensued, and the other
Boobie-folk did all they could to hinder these two men from
going, saying that if they did so evil would befall them.
The Boobie is an excellent hunter. Armed with a long.
dane-gun and cutlass, he seeks the wooded hills, cutting out
his track as he goes. The game is plentiful and nothing
comes amiss to him: tree-squirrels (Sciurine)—including
the flying squirrel (Anomalurus fraseri)—small antelopes
(of which there are at least two kinds, one, Cephalophus
ogilbyi, ared species, and the other, C. melanorheus, a mouse-
coloured animal), and, the most prized of all, the tree-
dassie (Dendrohyrax dorsalis) form his quarry. Living in
the tops of the palms or in the leafy portions of forest trees,
the last-named animal looks exceedingly comical, as it runs,
in wild-pig fashion, along the broad branches from one thick
retreat to another. The Boobies are quick to discover its
home. Every likely tree is scanned and the least shaking of
the leafy top seldom escapes their keen sight. While one
stays below the tree with cutlass and dane-gun and a couple of
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. Z
338 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
native dogs, the other rapidly scales the tree and shakes the
dassie’s home violently. The poor dassie falls with a great
thud to the ground beneath and attempts to run, but the
dogs keep it at bay and the next moment it is quickly
dispatched with the cutlass. Our two hunters killed no
less than thirteen of these animals in one morning on our
way up the mountain.
On November 25th my second attempt to ascend the Peak
was commenced. Six men preceded the column as pioneers
to cut the road. Our loads had to be greatly reduced in
weight, while ten carriers were told off to carry large rum-
jars full of water. A heavy mist hung round everything. It
did not take long to become drenched with moisture as we
brushed past and fought our way through the thick forest-
growth wringing with wet. Our progress was tedious. The
Boobie-track, little frequented but by hunters, was much
overgrown, and the axe had constantly to be used. In many
places the path led through tunnels in impenetrable thickets,
which it was hopeless to try to cut away, and we had to crawl
through on our hands and feet, the loads being passed on
from one carrier to another. From time to time heavy mists
swept over us. The daylight was obscured, the dreary
twilight of the forest became more dreary than ever, and all
the birds were silent. After a climb of nearly seven hours
we reached a small hunter’s hut, at an altitude of about
3200 feet, which we made our base-camp. My carriers were
thoroughly exhausted, and I found that a day’s rest was
necessary before continuing the ascent. This gave me an
opportunity of making further collections. From this camp
the ascent became so steep and rough that all loads of over
20 lbs. had to be discarded and our tents abandoned,
Water, too, was no longer obtainable, and every drop had to
be carried with us. At night our only shelter was a roughly-
made roof of leaves. Ata height of 6600 feet the kola-nut
tree and the rubber-vine flourished, and the carriers, now
short of rations, gathered the nuts with avidity. Many
species of orchids and mountain-ferns grew in abundance on
the sheltered slopes. As we ascended, the air became clearer.
Birds of Fernando Po. 339
Below hung a great carpet of mist, but now and again a breath
of wind would swoop down and open it, disclosing to view
valleys of exquisite beauty bathed in sunlight, where groups of
giant tree-ferns flourished, and whence streams, looking like
tiny threads of silver, wound their way to the distant sea.
On the morning of the fourth day, as the summit was
reached, we experienced cold blasts of wind from the north-
west. A coarse woody weed covered the ground, and the
scattered trees were weather-beaten and wind-torn. Near
the summit bird-life was scaree, but examples of several
species were obtained, including Laniarius poensis, Urolais
marie, and Lioptilus claudi. The whole ascent resulted in
a collection of 45 specimens.
On December Ist we reached Banterbari Beach, where
Messrs. Holt have a large cocoa-farm. Here I obtained,
through the kindness of Messrs. Maysmor and Blissett, a
couple of large surf-boats to take the whole expedition back
to Port St. Isabel. A week later we all arrived safely, with
boots and clothes looking much the worse for wear, and glad
indeed we were to get back to civilization again.
My leave of absence from England having nearly expired,
I started by the s.s. ‘Oron’ on her homeward voyage, leaving
my collector behind, however, to work the southern portion
of the island. Principal Father Coll and Padre Albanell, of
the Roman Catholic Mission, gave him much assistance in
his arduous work, and after a successful trip through the
Moka Valley, he returned to England with an additional
hundred skins. The work of the whole expedition resulted
in a series of nearly 500 specimens representing three new
genera and 103 species, of which 385 have proved to be
new to science. I owe this remarkable success to having
traversed the high ground, my predecessors having confined
their attention to the lowlands. The wealth of bird-life on
the island is indeed wonderful, and proportionately larger
than in the forest-region of the adjoming West Coast. The
new species are in many cases remarkable, some of them
possessing very distinct characters, while others seem to have
their nearest allies in East Africa. Owing to the close
Z2
340 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
proximity of Fernando Po to Cameroon, it is, however,
to be expected that a number of these local forms will
eventually be found in the latter when the highlands of that
country have been thoroughly investigated.
In conclusion, it may be stated that the rich fauna of
Fernando Po supports the theory that this island at one
time formed part of the mainland. A large proportion of
its birds are West African, while many species of its plants
have been found to occur in the highlands of Abyssinia.
The Peak of Fernando Po and the Cameroon Peak appear to
rest on the same base, the narrow channel (80 miles wide)
now separating them haying a depth of only 290 feet, which
suddenly falls on both sides to 600 fathoms.
The distribution of the species of birds recorded up to the
present time as occurring in Fernando Po, relatively to the
continent of Africa, may be stated as follows :—
Restricted to | Found also in Found in Found in
the Island. West Africa. East Africa. Africa generally.
34 55 2 33
My best thanks are due to Dr. Bowdler Sharpe for his
assistance in the identification of my birds.
Part I1.—List oF THE SPECIES OF WHICH SPECIMENS WERE
OBTAINED, WITH Firtp-Nores.
[The arrangement and nomenclature used are those of
Shelley’s ‘ Birds of Africa,’ except where otherwise stated. |
1. Crnnyris preusst, Reichen.
Cinnyris preussi Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 44 (1896), 11. p. 81
(1900).
I obtained a fine series of this Sun-bird, which is widely
distributed over both the northern and southern portions of
the island and inhabits the hill-ranges, where it is found in
pairs. I procured specimens close to the Peak itself. It is
essentially a highland bird, differing in this respect from
C. chloropygia, the range of which is limited to the low
cultivated portions of the island.
Birds of Fernando Po. S41
2. CINNYRIS CHLOROPYGIA (Jard.).
Nectarinia chloropygia Jard. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. x.
p. 188, pl. xiv. (1842: Fernando Po); id. Jard. & Selby,
Illustr. Orn. (n.s.) pl. 1. (1842); Jard. Monogr. Sun-birds,
pp. 171, 249, pl. im. (1843); Gray, Gen. B. 1. p. 97 (1847) ;
Allen & Thomson, Narr. Niger Exped. ii. p.503 (1848: Fer-
nando Po); Hartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 12 (Fernando Po); Mull.
J. f. O. 1855, p. 18 (Fernando Po); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr.
p. 47 (1857: Fernando Po).
Cinnyris chloropygia Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p.7 (Santa
Isabel, Fernando Po); id. op. cit. (2) vil. p. 82 (1903:
Fernando Po).
Cinnyris chloropygius Shelley, B. Afr. i. p. 4. no. 46 (1896),
i. p. 83 (1900); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 104.
@, Ad: g. Rubola, Oct. 31, 1902.
b. Imm. Sipopo, Nov. 5, 1902.
ec. Imm. Bakaki, Nov. 1902.
Common in the island.
3. CHALCOMITRA ANGOLENSIS (Less.).
Jectarinia stangert Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger,
li. p. 501 (1848: Fernando Po); Hartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 10
(Fernando Po); Mill. J. f. O. 1855, p. 15 (Fernando Po).
Nectarinia angolensis Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 45 (1857:
Fernando Po).
Chalcomitra angolensis Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 56 (1896),
i. p. 3 (1900); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 32 (1908:
Fernando Po).
Cinnyris angolensis Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 111. p. 104.
a. Ad. g. Badasou, Nov. 12, 1902. Iris brown; legs
and feet black.
b. Ad. 2. Badasou, Nov. 11, 1902.
Upper parts brown, with a coppery gloss in certain lights ;
tail-feathers tipped with white and witha bronzy gloss; chin
mottled with white; throat and fore-neck glossy brownish
black ; remainder of under parts creamy white, with brown
centres to the feathers: iris brown; legs and feet black.
c. Imm. g (with black throat). Basakato, Nov. 12, 1902.
342 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
d. Imm.? ¢ (with metallic throat), Basakato, Nov. 12,
1902.
According to my note-book, this last specimen had the
breeding-organs largely developed, and therefore could
hardly be an immature bird. With the exception of the
metallic coloration on the throat, fore-neck, and forehead,
it is in the plumage of the adult female. The upper parts
are much worn and bleached. This, I think, proves that
the male assumes the female plumage at one season of the
year (probably during the rains).
4. CyANoMITRA URSULH. (Plate IX. fig. 2.)
Cyanomitra ursule Alex. Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 38 (1903);
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 40 (1903).
Cinnyris ursule Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 105.
Ad. g. Forehead and fore part of crown faintly washed
with metallic blue, with a greenish lustre in some lights ;
remainder of upper parts dull olive-yellow ; quills and tail-
feathers brown, edged on their outer webs with golden olive-
yellow; ear-coverts and region behind eye cinereous; chin,
throat, and breast pale smoky brown, becoming paler on the
breast; remainder of under parts washed with pale olive-
yellow; pectoral tufts orange-red ; under wing-coverts and
lining to quills white: bill black; iris hazel; legs and feet
brown. ‘Total length 3°6 inches, culmen 0°75, wing 1°95,
tail 1, tarsus 0°75.
Near Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 20, 1902.
We obtained two specimens, both males, of this rare little
Sun-bird, which frequented the low bushes on the steep
ascents of the mountain. It is a quiet bird and seems fond
of solitude.
It is named after the author’s niece, Miss Ursula Davis.
5. CyANoMITRA OBSCURA (Jard.).
Nectarinia obscura Jard. Monogr. Sun-birds, p. 253 (1843 :
Fernando Po); Jard.& Selby, Ilustr. Orn. (n.s.) pl. li. (1843) ;
Hartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 11 (Fernando Po); Mill. J. f. O.
1855, p. 16 (Fernando Po); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 50 (1857 :
Fernando Po).
Birds of Fernando Po. 343
Elaocerthia obscura Reichenb. Handb. Scansorie, p. 293,
pl. Ixxviil. figs. 8935-36 (1853: Fernando Po).
Adelinus obscurus Oust. N. Arch. Mus. (2) 11. p. 88 (1879:
Fernando Po).
Cinnyris obscura Gadow, Cat. B. Brit. M. ix. p. 77 (1884:
Fernando Po); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 7 (1895: Fer-
nando Po) ; id. op. cit. (2) vu. p. 32 (1903).
Cyanomitra obscura Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 63 (1896), 11.
p. 125 (1900).
Cinnyris obscurus Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 11. p. 104.
Abundant on the low lands, where it feeds on the flowers
of the paw-paw tree (Papaya carica). Breeds in November.
We obtained a large series.
6. CYANOMITRA CYANOLEMA (Jard.).
Nectarinia cyanolemus Jard. & Fraser, Contr. Orn. 1851,
p- 154 (Clarence, Fernando Po); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 51
(1857: Fernando Po); Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 108. no. 1318
(1869: Fernando Po).
Anthodieta cyanolema Reichenb. Handb. Scansorie, p. 29 4
(1853: Fernando Po),
Cyanomitra cyanolema Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 66 (1896),
li. p. 180 (1900) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 32 (1903:
Fernando Po).
Cinnyris cyanolemus Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii.
p. 105.
Ad. g. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902. Rare.
This specimen has the bill slightly shorter than Fraser’s
type, which is said to have come from Fernando Po. The
metallic parts are greener, with a blue rather than a lilac
shade, and the general coloration of the upper parts more of
a dusky than a chocolate-shaded brown.
7. CYANOMITRA POENSIS Alex.
Cinnyris chloronatus Allen & Thoms. (nec Swains.) Narr.
Exped. Niger, ii. p. 221 (1848: Fernando Po).
Nectarinia cyanocephala, part. Hart]. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 49
(1857).
o44 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Cinnyris oritis Bocage (nec Reichb.), Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 8
(1895: Pico Santa Isabel, Fernando Po).
Cyanomitra poensis Alexander, Bull, B. O. C. xiii. p. 38
(1903).
Cinnyris poensis Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ili. p. 105.
Adult male. Entire head, neck, and throat dark metallic
greenish blue ; remainder of upper parts greenish olive; quills
and tail dusky brown, edged on their outer webs with more
golden-olive feathers ; entire breast and abdomen olive-yellow;
pectoral tufts pale sulphur-yellow ; axillaries yellow; under
wing-coverts and lining to quills silky white: iris reddish
brown ; bill black; legs and feet greenish slate.
Total length 4°8 inches, culmen 1:1, wing 2°45, tail 1°65,
tarsus 0°8. (Type. Bilelipi, 6000 feet, Nov. 27, 1902.)
Adult female. Similar to the male, but dwler and smaller,
and lacking the sulphur-yellow pectoral tufts.
Total length 4-3 inches, culmen 1, wing 2:2, tail 1:3, tarsus
0°64. (Type. Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 20, 1902.)
Immature. Upper parts uniform dull greenish olive, with
no metallic colours. Chin, throat, and fore-neck dusky
brown ; remainder of under parts olive-yellow.
We obtained a fine series of this species, which is widely
distributed over the highlands.
Mr. Newton, the Portuguese collector, procured a male
specimen during his expedition in 1895 in the vicinity of the
Peak.
8. ANTHOTHREPTES FRASERI Jard. & Selby.
Anthreptes fraseri Jard. & Selby, Ilustr. Orn. (u.s.) pl. li.
(1843: Fernando Po); Hartl. J. f.O. 1854, p. 14 (Fernando
Po); Shelley, Monogr. Nectar. p. 307, pl. xcix. (1879: Fer-
nando Po).
Eleocerthia fraseri Reichen. Handh. Scansoriz, p. 292,
pl. 578. fig. 8934 (1853 : Fernando Po).
Nectarinia fraseri, Mull. J. f. O. 1855, p. 16 (Fernando
Po); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 50 (1857: Fernando Po).
Arachnothera fraseri Gray, Hand-l. B. p. 1138. no. 1399
(1869: Fernando Po).
Birds of Fernando Po. 315
Anthothreptes fraseri Gadow, Cat. B. Brit. M. ix. p. 113
(Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 73 (1896), ii. p. 141
(1900) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 33 (1908: Fer-
nando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 106.
a. Imm. g. Ribola, Oct. 31, 1902.
6. Nestling. Ribola, Oct. 31,1902. Bill black; legs and
feet flesh-coloured.
c. Imm. g. Sipopo, Nov. 7, 1902.
d. Imm. . Sipopo, Nov. 4, 1902. Bill brown; legs and
feet slaty flesh-coloured.
e. Ad. 9. Sipopo, Nov. 4, 1902.
7. imme. besoso, Noy. 13; 1992;
g. Ad. @. Ribola, Oct. 31, 1902. Iris brown; upper
mandible pale brown, lower yellowish horn-coloured ; legs
and feet greenish olive.
h. Ad. @. Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.
i. Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov. 20, 1902. Breeding.
9g. Ad. 6. Bilelipi;, Noy. 25, 1902.
k. Ad. ¢@. Basakato, Nov. 12, 1902.
The female is considerably smaller than the male.
Ad. g. Bilelipi, Nov. 25, 1902. Total length 5:9 inches,
culmen 0°85, wing 3, tail 2°55, tarsus 0°6.
Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov. 20, 1902. Total length 4°6 inches,
culmen 0°8, wing 2°45, tail 1°85, tarsus 0°52.
This species inhabits wooded places at the base of the
hills, where it is locally distributed. It is a quiet bird, and
always seems busy, examining with diligence the tops of
thick-leaved bushes for insects.
The northern race of this species is A. idiws Oberh., which
ranges from Liberia to Gaboon (cf. Ibis, 1902, p. 288).
Although closely allied to A. fraseri, it can be distinguished
by its smaller size and general darker and less yellowish-
green coloration. An adult male (with pectoral tufts)
obtained by me in Ashanti possesses these characteristics when
compared with our Fernando Po specimens of A. fraseri.
A. fraseri.
Ad. &. Bilelipi, Nov. 25,1902. Total length 5-9 inches,
culmen 0°85, wing 3, tail 2°55, tarsus 0°6.
316 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
A. idius.
Ad. g. Prahsu, Gold Coast, Oct. 16,1900. Total length
4°3 inches, culmen 0°7, wing 2°38, tail 1:7, tarsus 0°5.
9. ANTHOTHREPTES HyPODILA (Jard.).
Nectarinia collaris Jard. (nec Vieill.) ; Jard. Monogr. Sun-
birds, p. 251, pl. vi. (1843: Fernando Po).
Nectarinia hypodilus Jard. & Fraser, Contr. Orn. 1851,
p- 153 (Clarence, Fernando Po); Hartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 12
(Fernando Po) ; Mill. J. f. O. 1855, p. 52 (Fernando Po);
Hart]. Orn. W.:Afr. p. 52- (1857; Fernando Po); (Gray,
Hand-l. B. i. p. 108. no. 1317 (1869: Fernando Po).
Anthodieta subcollaris Reichenb. Handb. Scansorie,
p. 293, pl. 590. figs. 4007, 4008 (1853: Fernando Po).
Anthodieta hypodelos Reichenb. t. c. p. 293 (Clarence,
Fernando Po).
Nectarinia subcollaris Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 52 (1857:
Fernando Po).
Anthothreptes collaris Gadow, Cat. B. Brit. M. ix. p. 116,
part. (1884: Fernando Po).
Cinnyris hypodila Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 8 (1895 :
Fernando Po),
Anthothreptes hypodila Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 78 (1896),
ii. p. 151 (1900) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 33 (1908 :
Fernando Po).
Anthodieta hypodila Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 11.
p- 105.
a. Ad. gg. Basupu, Oct. 80, 1892. Bill, legs, and feet
black.
b. Imm. g. Ribola, Nov. 2,1902. Irishazel. Breeding.
6. Imm. ¢. Sipopo, Nov. 5, 1902.
My immature males are similar to the adults, but the
metallic golden green of the upper parts is less strong. Entire
under parts yellow, becoming paler on the throat and sides of
face. Bull brown.
Common, frequenting coffee- and cocoa-plantations.
10. ANTHOTHREPTES TEPHROLEMA (Jard. & Fraser).
Nectarinia tephrolemus Jard. & Fraser, Contr. Orn. 1851,
Birds of Fernando Po. 347
p. 154 (Clarence, Fernando Po) ; Hartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 12
(Fernando Po) ; Mill. J. f. O. 1855, p. 16 (Fernando Po) ;
Hart]. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 51 (1857: Fernando Po); Gray,
Hand-l. B. i. p. 108. no. 1319 (1869: Fernando Po).
Anthodieta tephrolema Reichenb. Handb. Scansoriz,
p- 294 (1853: Fernando Po); Shelley, Monogr. Nectar. p. 333
(Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, in. p. 106.
Anthothreptes tephrolema Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 80 (1896),
ii, p. 156 (1960); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 33 (1903:
Fernando Po).
a. Imm. g. Basupu, Oct. 29, 1902.
6. Imm. ¢. Banterbari, Nov. 29, 1902.
Not common. Confined to the coast-line.
11. ZosteRors srenocricora Reichen.
Zosterops stenocricota Reichen. J. f. O. 1892, p. 191;
Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 94 (1896), i. p. 181 (1909).
a. Ad. @ @. Bakaki, Nov. 15, 1902. Iris hazel ; bill
black ; legs and feet pale slaty.
6. Ad. 9. Bakaki, Nov. 18, 1902.
ec. Ad. 66 2. Bakaki, Nov. 20, 1902.
d. Ad. g. Bilelipi, Nov. 24, 1902.
e. Ad. 5. Moka, Dec. 1, 1902.
f-nde-9 Moka; Dees 1, 1902.
I first met with this species in the neighbourhood of the
mountain in flocks of five or six. When alighting on any
tree they used to commence a noisy song-like chatter, not
unlike that of a canary in tone. The native name is “Si
tawi tawi,” which is rather descriptive of the song.
Range. Fernando Po and Cameroon.
Examples of another species of Zosterops, described by
Count Salvadovi as Z. drunnea, were obtained by Mr. Newton
in 1895 on the Pico Santa Isabel at an altitude of 2500
metres. (See p. 399.)
12. Linurevus oxivacevus (Fraser).
Coccothraustes olivaceus Fraser, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 144
(Clarence, Fernando Po) ; Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped.
318 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Niger, 11. p. 500 (1848: Fernando Po); Fraser, Zool. Typ.
pl. xlvu. (1849).
Ligurnus olivaceus Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 140 (1857:
Fernando Po).
Crithagra olivacea Gray, Hand-l. B. 1. p. 101. no. 7505
(1870: Fernando Po).
Pyrrhospiza olivacea Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xii. p. 434
(1888: Fernando Po) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vi. p. 37
(1893 : Fernando Po).
Linurgus olivaceus Shelley, B. Afr. i. p. 804 (1896) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 112.
Pyrrhospiza camerunensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C, xii.
p- 88 (1903: Mt. Victoria).
a. No.7. Ad. ¢6. Basupu, Oct. 29, 1902. Bull orange-
yellow; iris hazel; legs and feet orange-yellow.
b. No. 88. Ad. 6. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
c. No. 89. Imm. ¢g. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902. This specimen
is changing from the female plumage into that of the adult
male.
d. No. 90. Ad. ¢. . Ribola, Nov. 2,.1902.
e. No. 202. Ad. ¢. Bakaki, Nov. 14, 1902.
f. No. 208. Ad. 6. Bakaki, Nov. 14,1902. Total length
55 inches, culmen 0°6, wing 3, tail 2°4, tarsus 0°7.
g. No.317. Ad. 9. Bakaki, Nov. 22,1902. Total length
5°3 inches, culmen 0°51, wing 2°7, tail 2; tarsus 0°62. Bill
orange-yellow ; legs and feet orange-yellow.
he No. 28. Ad. ic. Moka, Dec. 9, 1902:
i. No. 34, Ad. g. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 10, 1902.
j. No. 48. Ad. d. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 11, 1902.
k. No. 46. Ad. g. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 10, 1902.
l. No. 69. Ad. ¢. Moka Lake, Dec. 13, 1902.
Since I gave P. camerunensis specific rank, further material
has come to hand and I find that the characters of the sup-
posed new species are not constant. ‘This Weaver-bird is
locally distributed on the high lands of the island. In
favoured localities it is fairly numerous, going about in small
flocks. It breeds in November.
Birds of Fernando Po. 349
13. Vipua sErina (Linn.).
Vidua principalis Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 312 (1896).
a, Ad. gy; umm, ¢. Moka, Dec. 9, 1902.
6. Ad. $; young; imm. do. Dec. 14, 1902.
Confined to the southern portion of the island, The adult
males were in full breeding-plumage. This species had not
been previously obtained in Fernando Po.
14. Nie@rira CANICAPILLA (Strickl.).
Atthiops canicapillus Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841, p. 30 (Fernando
Por type, Brit. Mus)):.
Nigrita canicapilla Fraser, P. Z.S. 1842, p. 145 (Fernando
Po) ; id. Zool. Typ. pl. xlviii. (1849) ; Bp. Consp. Av. 1.
p- 444 (1850: Fernando Po); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 130
(1857: Fernando Po); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 9
(1895: Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 365 (1896) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 836 (1903: Fernando Po) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, in. p. 112.
a. Ad. g¢. Ruibola, Nov. 1, 1902. Total length
(measured in flesh) 5°45 inches, culmen 0°59, wing 2-9,
tail 2°3, tarsus 0'7. Iris lemon-yellow ; bill black ; legs and
feet brown.
b. Ad. 2. Basakato, Nov. 12, 1902.
ce. Ad. g. Bakaki, Nov. 138, 1902. Iris red; legs and
feet brown.
d. Ad. g. Bakaki, Nov. 15, 1902. Breeding.
e. Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov.19,1902. Totallength (measured
in flesh) 5°3 inches, culmen 0°55, wing 2:7, tail 2°1, tarsus 0°7.
Iris orange-yellow ; legs and feet brown.
In the female the black of the under parts has a more
brownish shade, and the extent of white on the rump is less
pronounced.
f. Ad. g. Banterbari, Nov. 29, 1902.
g- Ad. dg. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 10, 1902.
h. Ad. 2. Moka, Dec. 15, 1902.
This species is widely distributed on the high ground,
frequenting thick trees in pairs. In flight the white on the
rump is very conspicuous.
350 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
15. Nicrira turerrrons J. & KE. Verr.
Nigrita luteifrons Verr. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1851,
p. 420 ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 9 (1895 : Fernando Po) ;
Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 368 (1896); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2)
vil. p. 86 (1903).
Nigrita lucieni Sharpe & Bouvier, Bull. Soc. Zool. France,
iii. p. 75 (1878); Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 369 (1896) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 112.
Ad. 6 @. Ribola, Oct. 31, 1902.
Ad. 9. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
Imm. 9. Badasou, Nov. 11, 1902.
. Ad. 6. Besoso, Nov. 13, 1902.
e. Ad. 6 6. Bakaki, Nov. 14, 1902.
Ad. 3. Ribola, Oct. 31, 1902. Total length (measured
in flesh) 4°4 inches, culmen 0°45, wing 2-4, tail 1°8, tarsus
0°55. Iris black ; bill black; legs and feet flesh-coloured.
Ad. 2. Ribola, Oct. 31, 1902. Total length (measured
in flesh) 4°3 inches, culmen 0:4, wing 2°3, tail 1°69, tarsus
05. Coloration of soft parts asin male. Breeding.
Locally distributed, and fond of frequenting the tops of
tall palm-trees, where it nests. We often observed it in
sunny spots hawking in the air for flies.
It is very interesting to have come across both a male and
Sf (Ss
a female of this species, as the latter sex was previously
considered to belong to another species—Nigrita lucieni.
Range. Fernando Po, Cameroon, Gaboon, and the Congo.
16. Nierira Fusconora Fraser.
Nigrita fusconotus Fraser, P. Z.S. 1842, p. 145 (Clarence,
Fernando Po: type, Brit. Mus.) ; Allen & Thomson, Narr.
Exped. Niger, 11. p. 501 (1848: Fernando Po) ; Fraser,
Zool. Typ. pl. xlix. (1849).
Nigrita fusconota Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 1380 (1857:
Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 371 (1896) ; Bocage,
Jorn. Lisb. (2) vu. p. 86 (1903 : Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn.
Golfo d. Guinea, in. p. 112.
Nigrita pinaronota Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiii. p. 318
(1890: Fernando Po).
Birds of Fernando Po. 351
a. Ad. 3 9. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
6. Ad. g. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902. Breeding.
Ad. S. Total length (measured in flesh) 4°2 inches,
culmen 0°5, wing 2°71, tail 1°9, tarsus 0°56. Bill black ;
iris black ; legs and feet slaty grey.
Ad. 2. Total length (measured in flesh) 3°81 inches,
culmen 0:4, wing 2, tail 1°6, tarsus 0°51.
Rare. Found on high ground, frequenting the topmost
branches of tall trees in sunny clearings.
The type of this species was obtained by Fraser in
Fernando Po.
17. CryprospizA REICHENOW! (Hartl.).
Cryptospiza reichenowi Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus, xiii.
p. 234 (1890) ; Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 378 (1896).
Cryptospiza ocularis Sharpe, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 8
(1902: Mt. Ruwenzor1).
Cryptospiza elize Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 38
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 40 (19038) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 112.
Since my description of C. elize was published, Professor
Reichenow has kindly forwarded to the British Museum the
type—a female—of C. reichenowt from Cameroon. After
comparing it carefully with C. elize and with the type
of C. ocularis from Mount Elgon, East Africa, I have no
hesitation in making both these species synonymous. with
C. reichenowt.
In the ‘Journal fir Ornithologie,’ 1875 (pl. ii. fis)
C. reichenowi is figured ; but the plate is misleading, since it
represents the coloration of the hind-neck and under surface
as bright olive-brown instead of yellowish olive-brown.
Our two immature males are similar to the adult, but lack
the red round the eyes and on the lores, the latter being
buffish brown, while the carmine-red on the back, rump, and
upper tail-coverts is less pronounced. Legs and feet whitish
brown. (Bakaki, November 14, 1902.)
Ad. ¢. Near Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 20, 1902. Length
4°3 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 2°2, tail 1°45, tarsus 0°75.
Iris black ; bill slaty black; legs and feet brown.
352 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
The sexes are alike in plumage and measurements.
A local species and only met with in the locality of Bakaki.
We observed it in small flocks frequenting the more open
spots overgrown with long grass. The parties consisted
chiefly of young birds.
18. NEsocHARIS SHELLEYI.
Nesocharis shelleyi Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 48
(1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 112.
This new genus belongs to the same group as Spermestes
and Cryptospiza, but differs in having a much weaker and
more compressed bill; culmen slightly curved. Tail entirely
black, very short and rounded, and not extending beyond the
outstretched feet. Wing rounded; 3rd, 4th, and 5th primaries
longest, 2nd equal to the 7th; 1st very small, narrow, and
sharply pointed. Upper tail-coverts olive-yellow like the
back; neck and entire breast grey.
The adult bird may be described as follows :—Eutire
head and upper half of the throat jet-black ; neck, breast,
and remainder of under parts French grey; remainder of
upper parts yellowish olive, becoming brighter on the rump
and upper tail-coverts ; wing-coverts like the back; quills
and secondaries blackish brown, edged with yellowish olive ;
tail-feathers black ; under wing-coverts and inner edges of
quills white: bill bluish slate-colour ; legs and feet brownish.
Length 3°1 inches, culmen 0°32, wing 1:7, tail 1°2, tarsus 0°5.
(Type. Moka, December 12, 1902.)
This species was not found in the northern part of the
island, but was discovered by my collector on the Moka
highlands. It appears to be rare, since only two specimens
were observed and obtained, which were frequenting the tops
of tall thick-leaved trees.
The species has been named after Capt. G. E. Shelley.
19. SPERMESTES POENSIS (Fraser).
Amadina poensis Fraser, P. Z. 8. 1842, p. 145 (Clarence,
Fernando Po) ; Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger, ii.
p- 500 (1848: Fernando Po); Fraser, Zool. Typ. pl. 1.
fig. 1 (1849).
Spermestes poensis Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 454 (1850:
Birds of Fernando Pa. 398
Fernando Po); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 148 (1857: Fer-
nando Po) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 10 (1895: Fer-
nando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 386 (1896); Bocage,
Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 86 (1903: Fernando Po); Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 113.
a. Ad. 2. Ribola, Oct. 31,1902. Iris brown; bill pale
bluish slate-coloured ; legs and feet slate-eoloured.
6 Ad. 2. Sipopo, Nov. 3, 1902.
Found in small flocks frequenting waste places near
villages.
20. Esrritpa occipEenraLis Jard. & Fraser.
Estrelda occidentalis Jard. & Fraser, Contr. Orn. 1851,
p- 156 (Fernando Po) ; Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 140 (1857:
Fernando Po).
Habropyga miror Cab. J. f. O. 1878, p. 229.
Estrilda rubriventris Bocage (nec Vieill.), Jorn. Lisb. (2)
vii. p. 386 (1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d.
Guinea, il. p. 113.
Imm. ¢. Moka, Dec. 12, 1902.
Ad. 6 3. Moka, Dec. 16, 1902.
Iam unable to find any constant characters te separate
i, minor from the present species. Specimens of /. minor
from Abyssinia and Nyassaland in the British Museum are
somewhat darker on the upper parts and lighter on the throat ;
but these characters do not remain constant, and intermediate
forms occur. Specimens of E. minor im my Zambesi col-
lection are identical with the Fernando Po birds.
Young male (Moka, Dec. 12, 1902). Crown dark brown ;
remainder of upper parts rufous brown, especially on the
rump; quills and tail-feathers dusky brown, edged with
rufous brown; under parts tawny buff suffused with pink,
becoming whitish on the throat and sides of face ; feathers
round eye dull crimson ; bill black.
Range. Fernando Po, Cameroon, and Abyssinia, south-
ward to Benguela and the Zambesi.
In Gaboon and Loango this form is replaced by a local sub-
species, 1. rubriventris.
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. 2A
B04: Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
21. EsTRiLpA ELIZ&.
Estrilda elize Alexander, Bull. B.O. C. xiii. p. 54 (1903).
Adult. Similar to E. nonnula Hartl., but differs in having
the entire under parts tinted with grey ard the under tail-
coverts pale lead-grey. Wings pale. Iris brown; bill black,
with a patch of red on each side of the culmen and at the
base of the lower mandible; legs and feet blackish. The
sexes are alike in plumage and measurements. ‘Total length
3°8 inches, culmen 0°4, wing 1°9, tail 1:7, tarsus0°65. (Type,
ad. ¢. Moka, December 14, 1902.)
Immature. Hind-neck and mantle uniform greyish brown;
entire breast and under tail-coverts washed with pale brown :
bill black ; legs and feet blackish.
This Hstrilda is confined to the southern portion of the
island. My collector obtained his specimens from the long
grass in the Moka valley.
The species is named after Lady Eliza Alexander.
22. MALIMBUS RUBRICOLLIS (Swains.).
Euplectes rufovelatus Fraser, P.Z.S. 1842, p. 142 (Clarence,
Fernando Po: type, Brit. Mus.) ; id. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.
xii. p. 131 (1843); Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger,
ii. p. 500 (1848: Fernando Po) ; Fraser, Zool. Typ. pl. xlvi.
(1849).
Sycobius malimbus Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 183 (1857:
Fernando Po),
Malimbus rubricollis Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xii. p. 478
(1890: Fernando Po) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 10 (1895:
Santa Isabel, Fernando Po) ; id. op. cit. vil. p. 37 (1908:
Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 114.
Malimbus malimbus Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 479 (1896).
a. Imm. 2. Basupu, Oct. 31, 1902. Iris brown; bill
blackish horn-coloured ; legs and feet dark lead-coloured.
6b. Ad. 66h 2¢%. Ribola, Oct. 31, 1902. Iris claret-
red ; legs and feet brown; bill black.
c. Ad. g. Basakato, Nov. 12, 1902.
Common at the foot of the hill-ranges, resorting to the
thick forest-trees.
Birds of Fernando Po. 355
23. MnLANOPTERYX MAXWELLI.
Melanopteryx nigerrime Bocage (nec Vieill.), Jorn. Lisb.
(2) iv. p. 10 (1895: Fernando Po) ; id. op. cit. vil. p. 37
(1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 114.
Melanopteryx maxwelli Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 54
(1903).
Adult. Similar to M. albinucha, but with the base of the
feathers grey instead of white. Upper parts, throat, and
breast jet-black, not brownish black; legs and feet brownish
black ; iris lemon-coloured ; bill black. (Type, ad. ¢.
Ribola, Oct. 31, 1902.)
Total length 5°6 inches, culmen 0:7, wing 3, tail 2, tarsus
0°75.
The sexes are alike in plumage and measurements.
Immature male. General colour above sooty-brown, with
traces of yellowish-olive edges to the feathers of the hind-
neck and crown, the latter mottled with black; sides of head
and under parts pale yellowish olive, inclining to whitish on
the under tail-coverts ; thighs light brown: bill horn-brown ;
legs and feet dark brown.
Immature female. Similar to immature male, but with no
yellowish edges to the feathers of the hind-neck and crown ;
sides of neck and under parts ashy white, inclining to pale
tawny on the abdomen and under tail-coverts; outer edges
of secondaries and quills ashy white: iris pale green; legs
and feet ight brown.
This species is a good intermediate form between M. ni-
gerrima and M. albinucha. It differs from the former in
being smaller, in the jet-black of the upper parts, throat, and
breast, and in the brownish-black legs and feet.
We found this Weaver-bird on the lowlands frequenting
the woods, where it nests in small colonies, the tops of thick-
leaved forest-trees being chosen as nesting-sites. The note
is a running chatter. The following specimens were ob-
tained :—
a. Ad. g. Basupu, Oct. 29, 1902.
b.-Ad. 9. Type; Ribolay Oct. 31, 1902.
ce. Ad. g. Type. Rubola, Oct. 31, 1902.
356 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
d. Ad. @. Ribola, Oct. Si, 1902.
e. Ad. @. Sipopo, Nov. 6, 1902.
f. Imm. 3 g 2. Sipopo, Nov. 6, 1902.
Named after the Right Hon. Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart.,
M.P:, F.R-S. ,
24. Sycoprotus TEPHRONOTUS (Reichen.).
Symplectes tephronotus Reichen. J. f. O. 1892, p. 219
(Buea, Cameroon).
Sycobrotus tephronotus Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 506 (1896).
Sycobrotus poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 38
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 40 (1903) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 114.
Ad. ¢¢ 6. Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 15, 1902.
We found this species only in one locality near Bakaki at
an altitude of 4000 feet, frequenting the thick forest-trees. It
appeared to be very local and was generally observed in small
parties. The note may be described as a running voluble
BI VY cae
Ad. @. Bakaki, Nov. 15, 1902.
Total length (in flesh) 6 inches, culmen 0°8, wing 3:3,
tail 2°2, tarsus 1:0.
Range. Fernando Po and Cameroon.
~
25. HerERHYPHANTES MELANOGASTER (Shelley).
Heterhyphantes melanogaster Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 512
(1896); Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 49 (1903: Fer-
-nando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo di Guinea, ili. p. 113.
Heterhyphantes melanolema Salvad. part., Orn. Golfo d.
Gninea, i. p. 113.
Nds oad: -%> Dees? 7, W902i, ad: 5. Dec. 16; WS02:
Moka.
Adult male. Differs from the female in having an orange-
yellow crown and nape; sides of face and preepectoral collar
orange-yellow; chin and throat black.
Total length 5:5 inches, culmen 0°8, wing 2:7, tarsus 0°85.
This rare Weaver-bird was discovered by Sir Harry
Johnston in Cameroon at an altitude of 8000 feet. The
Birds of Fernando Po. 357
type, a female, was figured and described by Capt. Shelley
(P. Z. §. 1887, p. 126) pli xav. fig. 2).
Range. South-east Fernando Po and Cameroon.
26. HyrpHANTURGUS BRACHYPTERUS (Swains.).
Ploceus brachypterus Swains. B. W. Afr. i. p. 168, pl. x.
(1837) ; Fraser, P. Z. 8. 1843, p. 52 (Fernando Po).
Hyphantornis brachyptera Wartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 122
(1857: Fernando Po).
Sitagra brachyptera Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 36 (1903:
Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 114.
Hyphanturgus brachypterus Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 521
(1896).
a. Ad. g. Bakaki, Nov. 10, 1902. Iris pale lemon-
coloured; legs and feet slaty flesh-coloured.
b. Ad. 9. Bakaki, Nov. 13, 1902.
ce. Ad. 2. Moka, Dec. 14, 1902.
27. HypHantornis cucuuyatus (P. L. 8. Mill.).
Ploceus textor (Gm.) ; Fraser, P. Z. S. 1848, p. 51 (Fer-
nando Po).
Hyphantornis textor Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 124 (1857:
Fernando Po).
Hyphantornis cucullatus Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 37
(1903: Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 562 (1896) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 114.
Hyphantornis collaris Boc. (nee Vieill.), Jorn. Lisb. (2)
iv. p. 10 (1895).
Ad. 6 2. Sipopo, Nov. 6, 1902.
Very common. Nesting in all the palm-trees round the
native huts. Breeds in November.
28, LAMPROCOLIUS CHUBBI.
Lamprocolius chubbi Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 48
(1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea,-iii. p. 115.
Adult female. Upper parts glossy steel-blue with golden-
green shades, most distinct on the hind-neck, upper back,
rump, and wing-coverts ; the blue shade of the hinder crown
being rather sharply defined from the golden green of the neck:
median and greater wing-coverts with subterminal velvety-
358 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the’
black patches almost confined to their outer webs; quills
black, with outer webs and ends golden green ; secondaries
of a bluer shade towards their centre and with a broad black
velvet band in certain lights; tail-feathers velvety bluish
black, with their ends greenish steel-blue and with obsolete
narrow blue bars. Sides of forehead. velvety black; sides of
head frizzled greenish steel-blue, behind which is a pateh of
coppery bronze ; chin and throat violet-tinted steel-blue ;
remainder of under parts bluish golden green, becoming
golden green on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; under
surface of wing black, with the coverts metallic steel-blue.
Total length 11°5 inches, culmen 1:1, wing 6, tail 4°7,
tarsus 1:2,
iype: ‘Moka, Dee. 16; 1902;
Rare, and only met with in the southern portion of the
island.
This species is allied to L. splendidus, but differs chiefly in
having no trace of reddish purple on the under parts.
Named after Mr. Charles Chubb, of the South Kensington
Museum.
29. AMYDRUS ELGONENSIS.
Amydrus elgonensis Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 242 (Mt. Elgon,
Kast Africa).
a. Ad. 2. Moka, Dec. 8, 1902.
b. Ad. g. Moka, Dec. 9, 1902.
. Imm. ¢. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 10, 1902.
. Ad. g. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 11, 1902.
Ad 2. “Pico Joaquin, Dec. 11, 1902.
. Imm. ¢. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 11, 1902.
Ad ¢. Moka; Dec. 14, 11902.
Confined to the southern portion of the island.
Our birds agree with the type of A. elgonensis (from Mount
Elgon) in the British Museum.
I think that Dr. Sharpe was wrong in reuniting this species
to A. walleri Shelley, from which it differs in being smaller
and in having a more slender bill and a metallic-purple shade
on the throat and sides of neck and wing-coverts, instead of a
metallic green.
te Ss GS Sy S&S
Birds of Fernando Po. 359
30, Corvus scapuLatus Daud.
Corvus leuconotus Allen & Thoms. Narr. Exped. Niger,
li, p. 221 (Fernando Po).
Corvus curvirostris Gould; Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 114
(1857: Fernando Po).
Corvus scapulatus Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 9 (1895:
Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 634 (1896) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 116.
Common along the coast.
31. Dicrurus arer (Licht.).
Corvus afer Licht. Cat. Rev. Nat. Hamb. p. 10 (1793).
Dicrurus afer Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 646 (1896).
Dicrurus coracinus Reichen. ; Shelley, Ibis, 1901, p. 590.
Ad. g;ad. ?. SBanterbari, Nov. 29, 1902. Iris pinkish
red.
These two specimens are in fine glossy plumage and are
identical with others obtained by me in Ashanti. In my
paper on the Gold Coast birds (Ibis, 1902, p. 278) I
separated the Hinterland specimens from those of the forest-
region as D. coracinus on account of the duller coloration of
the upper parts and of the almost whitish-brown inner webs
of the primaries; but I have since collected further speci-
mens in the Hinterland during the month of August, when the
birds were in fresh plumage, and find that they are practically
identical with the Ashanti specimens (D. afer).
The more open country, and the consequently greater
power of the sun, would soon bleach the glossy plumage of
these Drongos; thereby accounting for their generally duller
appearance. The gloss on the plumage is undoubtedly affected
by the season and the atmosphere. In the forest-region,
where the rainfall is greater and the sunlight more subdued,
a fresher and more glossy plumage is always to be noticed.
In Fernando Po Dicrurus afer is by no means common.
We observed it at an altitude of 4000 feet in the thick forest
and at the top of the high cotton-trees among the cocoa-
plantations near the coast. From these points of vantage
the birds continually uttered their peculiar chattering songs,
860 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
which were varied now and again by a series of metallic
screeches.
32. GRAucALUsS PREUSSI Reichen.
Graucalus preussi Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 682 (1896) ;
Sharpe, Hand-l. B. iii. p. 291 (1901).
Ad. 9. Mt. St. Isabel, November 17, 1902.
Total length (measured in flesh) 8-7 inches, culmen 0°9,
wing 4°53, tail 4°3, tarsus 0°96. Iris black ; legs and feet
brownish black.
Obtained at a height of 5000 feet.
33. Lantartus Pornsis (Alex.).
Dryoscopus poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 87
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vu. p. 40 (1908) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iui. p. 103.
Adult. Entire plumage glossy steel-black, with little or no
gloss on the abdomen and thighs; iris bluish black. The
female is smaller and somewhat less glossy, especially on the
under parts.
Ad. g. Total length 6-9 inches, culmen 0°85, wing 3:0,
S) | tail 2°65, tarsus 1°15. (Type. Mt. St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902.)
Ad. ¢. Total length 6-4 inches, culmen 0°8, wing 2°9,
tail 2:6, tarsus 1-1. (Type. Mt. St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902.)
The nearest ally is Laniarius nigerrimus Reichen. from
Kast Africa. |
We found this Shrike locally distributed in the vieinity of
the Peak, from a height of 4000 feet upwards. My col-
~ lector also obtained it at Moka, It is a shy bird, resorting
to the tops of the tall mountain trees or to the thickest brush-
wood, where it is more often heard than seen, uttering peculiar
ventriloquial croaks in a constantly varied tone.
We collected the following specimens :—
Ad. g. Near Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 17, 1902.
Ad. ¢ g@. Near Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 20, 1902.
Ad. g¢. Type. Mt. St. Isabel, Nov. 25, 1902.
Ad. 9. Type. Mt. St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902.
Ad. 6. Moka, Dec. 9, 1902.
Ad, gd. Moka, Dec. 15, 1902.
TAS Vana
Birds of Fernando Po. 361
34. Eurinias Latrrosrris (Strickl.).
Andropadus latirostris Strickl. P. Z. 8. 1844, p. 100 (Fer-
nando Po); id. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xv. p. 127 (1845) ;
Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger, i. p. 496 (1848 :
Fernando Po); Fraser, Zool. Typ. pl. 35 (1849); Hartl.
Orn. W.-Afr. p. 87 (1857: Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr.
i. no. 836 (1896) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 35 (19038 :
Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 111.
Eurillas latirostris Sharpe, Hand-l. B. 11. p..325 (1901).
We obtained a fine series of this Bulbul, which is widely
distributed both on the high and low ground. Two of our
specimens marked “immature” have scarcely any trace of
the yellow moustache, and the lower mandible is of a yellowish
horn-colour,
In this plumage they come very close to FE. virens, but the
olive-blackish stripe on the sides of the chin is always indi-
cated and serves at all times to distinguish this species from
its congener.
The note of this bird is a clear ‘‘ wheet-wheet,” uttered
constantly from the tops of tall trees, and becoming very
persistent in the early morning and evening.
Adult male. Ribola, Nov. 1, 1902. Iris brown; bill
blackish brown; legs and feet yellowish flesh-coloured.
Immature male. Upper mandible blackish brown, base of
lower yellowish horn-coloured ; legs and feet yellowish flesh-
coloured.
35. EURILLAS VIRENS (Cass.).
Andropadus virens Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 8 (1895:
Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 840 (1896) ; Bocage,
Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 85 (1903: Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn,
Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 111.
Eurillus virens Sharpe, Hand-l. B, iii. p. 324 (1901).
We obtained a large series of this species, which is widely
distributed over the lower portions of the island.
Our three adult birds differ from the immature specimens
in having the wing-coverts and quills washed with yellowish
olive imstead of reddish brown; back olive-brown, the
crown a little darker; axillaries and under wing-coverts
362 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
sulphur-yellow: bill brown; legs and feet greenish olive-
brown; iris claret-red in male, hazel in female.
In all our immature birds the bills are paler and the legs
and feet of a yellowish flesh-colour.
This Bulbul was very common, meeting us at every turn.
In the morning and evening the undergrowth and fish-canes
used to resound with its loud hurriedly-rendered notes, some
of which were not unpleasant, closely resembling those of a
Calamocichla.
36. MacrospHENUS POENSIS.
Macrosphenus poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xi.
p- 36 (1908); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 40 (1903);
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 110.
Adult male. Similar to M. flavicans Cass., but head and
neck dark cinereous with no greenish tinge. Under parts
below neck greenish olive-yellow; quills brownish black
edged externally with pale cinereous ; thighs pale cinereous :
bill black, underneath whitish horn-coloured ; legs and feet
slate-coloured ; iris lemon-yellow. Total length 5-2 inches,
culmen 0°72, wing 23, tail 2, tarsus 0 85.
Only one specimen obtained, near Builelipi, 4000 feet,
Nov. 25, 1902.
37. Buepa norata (Cass.).
Xenocichla notata Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 851 (1896).
Bleda notata Sharpe, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 823 (1901).
a. Imm. 6. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
This specimen has the primary-coverts and broad tips
to the secondaries rusty reddish brown.
6. Ad. 2. Sipopo, Nov. 4, 1902.
Bill blackish brown; iris brown; legs and feet of a whitish
flesh-colour.
c. Ad. 2. Sipopo, Nov. 7, 1902.
38. Burpa serina (J. & E. Verr.).
Pyrrhurus serinus Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 894 (1896).
Bleda serina Sharpe, Hand-l. B. i. p. 322 (1901).
a. Ad. 3 3. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902. Iris hazel; bill
Birds of Fernando Po. 363
reddish horn-coloured, brownish at tip; legs and feet of a
dirty claret-colour.
Not common. frequents the tops of the tall trees.
39. BLEDA TEPHROLEZEMA (Gray).
Criniger tephrolemus Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 877 (1896).
Bleda tephrolema Sharpe, Hand-l. B. in. p. 321 (1901).
This species is widely distributed in the wooded hills
throughout the island. We obtained a large series.
Ad. g. Ribola, Nov. 1, 1902. Iris hazel; bill black ;
legs and feet greenish.
In the immature bird the crown is brownish grey, and the
under parts from the throat downwards are obscure greenish
olive, with little or no trace of yellow except on the centre
of the abdomen.
40, STELGIDILLAS POENSIS.
Stelgidillas poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 35
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 39 (1903); Salvad.
Orn, Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 111.
Stelgidillas gracilirostris Salvad. (nec Strickl.) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 111.
Adult male. Similar to S. gracilirostris (Strick].), but having
the upper parts yellowish olive; entire crown cinereous ;
chin and throat whitish, remainder of under parts pale ashy
grey, becoming pale creamy buff on the abdomen and under
tail-coverts.
Total length 7-2 inches, culmen 0°8, wing 3:2, tail 3:0,
tarsus 0°8. Iris bright hazel; bill, legs, and feet dark
brown. (Type. Sipopo, Nov. 8, 1902.)
Adult female. Total length 7 inches, culmen 0°6, wing
ol, tail 3°2, tarsus O°7. (Type. Near Ribola, Nov. 2,
1902.)
The notes of this species are a series of clear whistles.
The type of S. gracilirostris (Strickl.), which is in the
British Museum, is said to have come from Fernando Po,
but I find that it does not agree with my birds from that
island, but does agree with the ordinary continental form,
which has the crown of the head uniform with the back,
364 ; Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
the upper parts being dark olive-greenish in colour, and tne
under parts dark ashy grey washed with olive.
I have not a doubt that the locality of S. gracilirostris
has been erroneously marked, and that it was obtained by
Fraser on the mainland and not on Fernando Po.
Ad. 3. Near Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
41. CRINIGER CALURUs (Cass.).
Criniger calurus Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 873 (1896) ;
Sharpe, Hand-l. B. iii. p. 316 (1901).
a. Ad. cd. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
b. Ad. S. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
Iris claret-red; bill bluish horn-coloured ; legs and feet
slaty blue. Breeding.
c. Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 6, 1902.
d. Ad. lLakha, Noy. 8, 1902.
Found in the woods in the vicinity of the coast. Not
common,
42. CRINIGER TRICOLOR (Cass.).
Criniger tricolor Sharpe, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 817 (1901).
Pyrrhurus tricolor Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 892 (1896).
Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 4, 1902. ‘Total length (measured
in flesh) 7 inches, wing 3:2, culmen 0°8, tail 3:1, tarsus 0°7.
Upper mandible dark brown, lower greenish horn-coloured ;
legs and feet slate-coloured. Breeding.
Ad. 9. Bilelipi, Nov. 25, 1902. Total length (measured
in flesh) 5°9 inches, wing 2°8, culmen 0°71, tail 2°7,
tarsus 0°7.
Common in the woods at the foot of the hills, frequenting
the tops of leafy trees, which it examines quietly and
diligently for insects. The note is ‘“hi-hee,” deliberately
repeated several times.
43. PHYLLOSTROPHUS POENSIS.
Phyllostrophus poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii.
p. 35 (1903); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 39 (1903);
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 111.
Adult. Similar to P. placidus (Criniger placidus Shelley,
B. Afr. 1. p. 63), but with the entire crown brown slightly
Birds of Fernando Po. 365
washed with olive; lores and region round eye cinereous ;
remainder of upper parts dark greenish olive; chin and throat
whitish; fore-neck and flanks washed with olive- brown; breast
and middle of abdomen whitish, slightly washed with yellow :
iris hazel ; bill brownish black, underneath whitish horn-
coloured; legs and feet bluish-slate-coloured.
Adult ¢. Total length 7*4 inches, culmen 0:9, wing 38:4,
tail 3-1, tarsus 09. (Type. Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 18,
1902.)
Adult 2. Total length 7:2 inches, culmen 0°8, wing 2:9,
tail 2°95, tarsus 0°82. (Type. Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 20,
1902.)
Ad. g. Bakaki, Nov. 11, 1902.
Ad. 2. Mount St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902.
This species is confined to high altitudes, differing in this
respect from Stelgidillas poensis, which was found to inhabit
the lowlands. It breeds in November.
44. TURDINUS FULVESCENS (Cass.).
Trichastoma rufipennis Sharpe, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.
(4) x. p. 451 (1872).
Turdinus fulvescens Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vii. p. 545
(1883) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 913 (1896).
Turdinus albipectus Reichen. J. f. O. 1887, p. 307
(Congo).
Turdinus bocaget Salvad. Boll. Mus. Torino, xviii. no. 442
(1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii.
joe ot
a. Imm. 2. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902. Iris hazel; upper
mandible black, lower yellowish horn-coloured, brighter at
base; legs and feet slaty flesh-coloured.
b. Imm. 5; ad. Sd. Sipopo, Nov. 3, 1902.
c. Imm. ¢. Ribola, Nov. 3, 1902.
d. Imm. ¢. Sipopo, Nov. 7, 1902.
e. Ad. g. Lakha, Nov. 8, 1902.
f. Ad. @. Bakaki, Nov. 9, 1902.
g- Imm. g. Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.
h. Ad. 3. Bakaki, Nov. 22, 1902.
366 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Locally distributed in wooded localities, where the ground
is inclined to be swampy. It keeps much to the under-
growth, travelling with a gliding flight from one twig to
another. The note uttered is a noisy “ tizz.”’
Ad. g. (Lakha, Nov. 8, 1902.)
Head dark brown and slightly ashy, back and mantle reddish
brown washed with olive, becoming more rufous on the
rump and ferruginous on the upper tail-coverts. Forehead,
lores, ear-coverts, and sides of head ashy grey. Wing-
coverts like the back ; quills and secondaries fulvous brown,
margined with the same colour as the back. Tail-feathers
dark rufous brown edged with rufous. Throat and middle of
abdomen white; chest, sides, and flanks strongly washed
with dark olive-brown; under tail-coverts more fulvous
brown; thighs brownish grey. Iris brown; upper man-
dible black, lower dark greenish horn-coloured ; legs and
feet slate-coloured. Total length 5°5 inches, culmen 0°75,
wing 3, tail 2:1, tarsus 1:0.
The following specimens of 7. fulvescens, with which our
birds are identical, are in the Brit. Mus. :—
Ad. g. Rio Benito, French Congo (G. L. Bates).
Ad. @. Efulen, Cameroon (G. L. Bates).
Ad. 2. Efulen, Cameroon (G. L. Bates).
. Imm. Rio Camma, Gaboon (Du Chaillu). Co-type.
e. Imm. West Africa (Du Chaillu). - Co-type.
f. Nestling. Rio Camma, Gaboon (Du Chaillu). Type
of T. rufipennis.
It will be seen that Cassin’s original description of
T. fulvescens was taken from the immature bird.
Our immature specimens differ from the adults in being
smaller and in having the upper parts more rufescent brown,
which becomes almost clear ferruginous on the rump and
upper tail-coverts; wing-coverts and quills edged with rufous ;
under tail-coverts reddish-chestnut. In several of the more
mature specimens this rufous coloration is giving way to the
more olive-brown of the adult.
In the nestling stage the rufous coloration of the upper
parts, especially of the wings and upper tail-coverts, is much
Se eS
Birds of Fernando Po, 567
more marked, while the under parts are dirty white washed
with dull fulvous on the breast and flanks.
This species can always be distinguished from _ its
congeners by the more sharply defined pattern in the
plumage of the under parts and the greater prodominance
of white in the coloration.
Range. Fernando Po, Cameroon, Gaboon, and French
Congo.
45. Turpinus Batest Sharpe.
Turdinus batesi Sharpe, Ibis, 1902, p. 94, pl. iv. fig. 2.
Ad. g. Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 19, 1902. Breeding.
Total length (measured in flesh) 6:1 inches, culmen 7°5,
wing 3, tail 2°2, tarsus 1:1.
Iris brown, eyelids bluish slate-coloured ; upper mandible
brownish black, lower slaty horn-coloured; legs and feet
pinkish flesh-coloured.
Rare. Frequents thick bush and is confined to the hills.
The note of the male is a clear whistle, which becomes very
persistent towards dusk.
Range. Cameroon and Fernando Po.
The type of this species was obtained by Mr. Bates at
Efulen, Cameroon, June 3, 1901.
46. STIPHRORNIS GABONENSIS (Sharpe).
Stiphrornis gabonensis Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 9
(1895: Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 923 (1896) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 85 (1903: Fernando Po) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 110.
a. Ad. g. Ribola, Nov. 2,1902. Total length (measured
in flesh) 5 inches, culmen 0°6, wing 2°8, tail 1*7, tarsus 0:9.
Tris black ; bill black ; legs and feet slaty flesh-coloured.
b. Ad. @. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
ce. Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 3, 1902.
d. Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 4, 1902.
e. Imm. g. Sipopo, Nov. 6, 1902.
f. Imm. Bakaki, Nov. 9, 1902.
g. Ad. g. Badasou, Nov. 11, 1902.
Immature, Differs from the adult in its pale yellow bill,
368 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
the whitish flesh-colour of the legs and feet, the tawny buff
spots at the end of the wing-coverts; the chin and throat,
which are white, with narrow crescentic slaty-grey edges
to the feathers ; fore-neck pale orange, with narrow fringes
of slaty grey to some of the feathers.
This species is locally distributed and frequents the marshy
forest-ground at the foot of the hill-ranges. It is a tame
and confiding bird and in habits recalls our Robin. Native
name “ Di weba.” It keeps much to the undergrowth,
where it flits with a low flight from one bush to another.
47, Hy ia prasina (Cass.).
Hylia prasina Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no, 924 (1896).
Hylia poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 86 (1903) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 40 (1908: Fernando Po) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 111. p. 110.
I find, on further examination of a larger series, now at
my disposal, that the Fernando Po Hylia is not separable
from H. prasina, the characters assigned to the former not
remaining constant.
Ad. g. Ribola, Oct. 30,1902. Iris hazel; bill black ;
legs and feet greenish olive.
In the immature bird the bill, legs, and feet are yellow.
The female is larger than the male.
This species is widely distributed in the woods at the foot
of the hill-ranges. The breeding-season commences in
November. A good series was obtained.
Po.ioLals, gen. nov.
This new genus is next to Camaroptera, but the distinctive
characters are the white outer tail-feathers and the uniform
rufous brown crown.
48. PoLIOLAIS HELENORA.
Poliolais helenore Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 36
(1903); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 40 (1903) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 11. p. 109.
Adult. Forehead, crown, and back of neck rufous brown,
fading into pale chestnut on the sides of the forehead and
head; remainder of upper parts dusky olive-brown, paler on
Birds of Fernando Po. 369
the upper tail-coverts ; tail white, with the exception of the
central pair of feathers which are like the back, next pair with
a broad white shaft-stripe only ; under wing-coverts and
inner margins of quills white ; chin and throat white shading
into whitish ash on the breast, rather darker on the sides of
the fore-chest ; thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts tawny
brown: iris black; bill dark brown ; legs and feet brown.
Total length 3°6 inches, culmen 0°6, wing 1°9, tail 1:2,
tarsus 0°9. (Type. Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 20, 1902.)
Rare. A pair obtained in the thickets of the forest.
Named after my late sister Miss Helenor Alexander.
49. CAMAROPTERA GRANTI.
Camaroptera granti Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 36
(1903: Fernando Po); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 40
(1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii.
pe Loo:
Adult male. General colour above dull olive-green ; quills
and secondaries dusky brown, externally edged with golden
olive-green ; tail-feathers like the back ; lores, sides of face,
and under parts cinereous, becoming paler on the chin, throat,
and abdomen; breast slightly washed with olive; thighs
tawny yellow ; under wing-coverts white, washed with yellow ;
lining to quills white: iris hazel; eyelid dirty yellow;
upper mandible brown, lower whitish horn-coloured ; legs
pale brown, feet lighter.
Total length 4°2 inches, culmen 0°6, wing 2:2, tail 1:2,
tarsus 0'9. (7ype. Badasou, Nov. 11, 1902.)
The female is smaller than the male and lighter on the
under parts, with no olive wash on the fore-neck.
Total length 3°7 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 1:9, tail 1,
tarsus 0°8. (Type. Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.)
The nearest ally of this species is C. concolor (Temm.).
We found this bird frequenting the thickets at the base of
the hills and generally in the vicinity of villages. Skulking
in habits, 1t is more often heard than seen, uttering its
plaintive notes—a “ wheet ” “ wheet”’ several times repeated.
Named after Mr. Ogilvie-Grant.
SER. VIII.— VOL. III. 2B
370 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
50. CaMAROPTERA SUPERCILIARIS (Fraser).
Sylvicola superciliaris Fraser, P. Z. S. 18438, p. 3 (Clarence,
Fernando Po: type, Brit. Mus.) ; id. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.
xu. p. 440 (1843).
Prinia icterica Strickl. P. Z. S. 1844, p. 100 (Fernando
Po); id. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xv. p. 126 (1845) ; Allen
& Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger, 11. App. p. 495 (1848:
Fernando Po).
Chloropeta icterica Uartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 17 (Fernando
Po); id. Orn W.-Atr: p- 6071857).
Camaroptera superciliaris Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii. p. 171
(1883: Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 963 (1896) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo di Guinea, iii. p. 109.
Drymoica icterica Gray, Hand-l. B. 1. p. 208. no. 2867
(1869: Fernando Po).
a. Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 11, 1902. Total length 3°78
inches, culmen 0°62, wing 1°9, tail 1:2, tarsus 0°8.. Iris
bright hazel ; exposed part of throat bluish lead-coloured ;
legs and feet reddish flesh-coloured. Breeding.
6b. Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 7, 1902.
c. Ad. ¢@. Bakaki, Nov. 15, 1902.
d. Ad. g. Biulelipi, Nov. 24, 1902.
e. Ad. 9. Bilelipi, Nov. 24, 1902. Total length 36
inches, culmen 0°6, wing 1°8, tail 1:2, tarsus 0:7.
This species is locally distributed and is confined to the more
open bush-grown and cultivated country outside the forest.
The note of the male is a rich metallic “ chee-up.” It is
_ ventriloquial and can be heard at a considerable distance.
51. CaMAROPTERA FLAVIGULARIS Reichen.
Camaroptera flavigularis Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 965 (1896).
a. Ad. 6. Basakato, Nov. 12, 1902. Total length 4.
inches, culmen 0°6, wing 2°05, tail 1:5, tarsus 0°75. Bill
black ; iris hazel; exposed portion on throat bright bluish
lead-coloured ; legs blackish brown; feet brown.
b. Ad. 2. Basakato, Noy. 12,1902. Total length 3°45
inches, culmen 0°6, wing 1°9, tail 1°3, tarsus 0°65, Coloration
as in male.
Birds of Fernando Po. 371
The type of this species was discovered by Dr. Zenker at
Jaunde in Cameroon (August 1894).
52. CrRyYPTOLOPHA HERBERTI.
Cryptolopha herberti Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 35
(1903); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p, 39 (1903) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 103.
Adult. Entire crown black; base of forehead and broad
eyebrow extending to back of nape rufous ; spot in front of
eye and stripe through eye black ; remainder of upper parts
bright olive-green ; quills, secondaries, and tail-feathers
blackish brown, externally edged on their outer webs with
bright olive-green ; chin, throat, and sides of face rufous ;
breast white, washed with rufous ; remainder of under parts
silky white; flanks grey; thighs greyish white; edge of
wing pale sulphur-yellow ; under wing-coverts and lining
to quills white: iris black; upper mandible black, lower
yellowish horn-coloured ; legs and feet brown.
This remarkable little bird has no near ally. It comes
nearest to C. /eta Sharpe, from Ruwenzori (see Bull. B. O.C.
xii. p. 9), but besides its distinctive characters it is con-
siderably smaller than the East-African species.
Adult C. herberti.
Total length 3°5 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 1°9, tail 1:1,
tarsus 0°7. (Type. Near Bakaki, 6000 feet, Nov. 20,
1902.)
Adult C. leta.
Total length 4 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 2°3, tail 1°55,
tarsus 0'9. (Type. Brit. Mus.)
I found this Cryptolopha rare. The two specimens ob-
tained were shot from the top of a high tree in the vicinity
of our first camping-ground on the way up to the Peak, at
an altitude of 6000 feet.
Named after Mr. Herbert Alexander.
53. APALIS RUFIGULARIS (Fraser).
Drymoica rufogularis Fraser, P. Z.S. 1843, p. 17 (Clarence,
Fernando Po: type, Brit. Mus.); id. Ann. & Mag. Nat.
2B2
372 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Hist. xii. p. 479 (1843: Fernando Po); Allen & Thomson,
Narr. Exped. Niger, ii. p.491 (1848: Fernando Po) ; Fraser,
Zool. Typ. pl. xlii. fig. 1 (1849); Hartl. J. f. O. 1854,
p. 15 (Fernando Po); id. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 58 (1857: Fer-
nando Po): Gray, Hand-l. B. 1. p. 201. no. 2836 (1869:
Fernando Po).
Prinia olivacea Strickl. P. Z. S. 1844, p. 99 (Fernando Po:
type, Brit. Mus.); id. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xv. p. 126
(1845: Fernando Po); Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped.
Niger, ii. p. 494 (1848: Fernando Po).
Chloropeta olivacea Hartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 17 (Fernando
Po) ; id. Orn, W.-Afr. p. 60 (1857: Fernando Po).
Drymoica olivacea Gray, Hand-l. B.1. p. 201. no. 2837
(1869: Fernando Po).
Euprinodes rufigularis Salvad. Orn, Golfo d. Guinea, iii.
p08.
Euprinodes olivaceus Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii.
p10.
Apalis rufigularis Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 989 (1896).
Apalis olivacea Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 994 (1896).
Adult male. General colour above slaty grey, washed with
olive-green on the back and rump; wing-coverts brown,
edged with olive-green; quills and secondaries brown, with
olive edges to the latter; tail-feathers dusky brown, the two
central uniform, the next two white with broad brown edges
along the webs, the two outer entirely white ; ear-coverts
slaty grey; cheeks, throat, and breast pale rufous; remainder
of under surface dull white, washed with ashy on the flanks ;
thighs slaty grey; under wing-coverts white: bill black;
iris orange; legs slaty brown; feet warm flesh-coloured.
(Bakaki, Nov. 15, 1903.)
Total length 4°2 inches (measured in flesh), culmen 05,
wing 1:9, tail 1°7, tarsus 0°6.
It is very interesting to have re-discovered this species,
previously known only from Fraser’s type in the British
Museum. That specimen is, however, in poor condition and
appears to have been at one time in spirits. I have therefore
thought it advisable to give a full description of our specimen,
Ibis. .1903 PL IK,
J.G.Keutemans del.et lth. MinternBros.imp.
eA AES) ee Olay Aa
9. CYANOMITRA URSULA.
Birds of Fernando Po, 373
which is in fresh plumage. I have also carefully re-examined
and compared it with Prinia olivacea Strickl. from Fernando
Po, the type of which is in the British Museum. I have
no hesitation in making P. olivacex synonymous with A, rufi-
gularis, the former being based on the immature stage of
the latter.
We found this elegant little Warbler near Bakaki, fre-
quenting low bush. It is scarce, only one specimen having
been obtained.
54. Apatis topest. (Plate IX. fig. 1.)
Apalis lopezi Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 85 (1903) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 89 (1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo
di Guinea, iii, p. 108.
Ad. ¢ @. Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.
Adult. Upper parts brownish grey; wing-coverts, quills,
and secondaries brown ; two central tail-feathers brown, the
next two with white centres, the three outer white ; under
parts dark brownish grey, becoming paler (almost whitish)
on the middle of the abdomen; thighs brown; edge of wing
white; under tail-coverts white: iris bright hazel; bill
dark brown ; legs and feet brown.
Total length 4 inches, culmen (6, wing 2:1, tail 1*4,
tarsus 0°9. (Type. Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 19, 1902.)
Notcommon. Found inthick bush. Breeds in November.
This Apalis is allied to A. sharpii Shelley, from the Gold
Coast, but differs chiefly in the grey throat and generally paler
under parts, and in the three outer tail-feathers being pure
white. It is also larger.
Adult A. sharpii. Type. Gold Coast.
Total length 4°2 inches, culmen 0°45, wing 1°8, tail 1°8,
tarsus 0°7.
Adult A. lopezi. Type. Fernando Po.
Total length 4 inches, culmen 0°6, wing 2:1, tail 1-4,
tarsus 0°9.
Named after the author’s collector, Mr. Lopes, of St.
Nicolas, Cape Verde Islands.
374. Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
55. APALIS SCLATERI.
Euprinodes sclateri Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xin. p. 36_
(1903); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 389 (1903); Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, in. p. 109.
Adult male. Upper parts cimereous ; entire crown and
sides of head washed with brown; wing-coverts like the
back ; quills and secondaries brown ; three central tail-
feathers brown, remainder white ; entire under parts cream-
colour, becoming paler on the abdomen ; under wing-coverts,
edge of wing, and lining to quills white; thighs brown
washed with cinereous: bill black; legs and feet reddish
flesh-coloured, (Mount St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902.)
Total length 5:1 inches, culmen 0°6, wing 2:2, tail 2-4,
tarsus 0°85.
The female is smaller than the male and is slightly paler
on the under parts.
Total length 4°5 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 1°9, tail 1:9,
tarsus 0°65. (Moka, Noy. 13, 1903.)
This Warbler is allied to A. cinerea Sharpe, from Mount
Elgon, East Africa, but differs chiefly in having the entire
under parts deeper in colour with little or no white except on
the abdomen.
We first obtained this species on our way up the mountain
at an elevation of over 5000 feet. The flight is airy as the
bird flits from one tree to another. It is locally distributed
on the high ground throughout the island. My collector
obtained a good series of five specimens near the Moka Lake.
In November the bird was breeding, all our specimens being
in considerably worn plumage.
Named after Dr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S.
UROLAIs, gen. nov.
This remarkable genus is allied to the genera Apalis and
Chlorodyta, but is easily distinguishable from them by its
very long graduated tail of ten feathers.
A specimen of Urolais marie with the tail shortened would
closely resemble in structure and general style of coloration
Chlorodyta flavida (Strickl.).
Fors 10S. Pu vile
Imp.
J.G.Keulemans del.et hth. Mintern Bros
UROLAIS MARIA“.
Birds of Fernando Po, 375
56. Urotais Maria. (Plate VIII.)
Urolais marie Alexander, Bull. B. O. C, xiii. p. 35 (1903) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 39 (1903); Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, iii. p. 108.
Adult male. Upper parts yellowish green; quills and
secondaries dark brown, edged with yellowish green ; lores
and ring round eye yellow ; sides of face like the back ; under
parts pale buff, becoming lighter on the chin, throat, and
abdomen ; thighs yellowish green ; tail-feathers greyish
brown, broadly tipped with white, the two central rectrices,
which are the longest, are white at their ends to a distance
equal to one-third of their length ; edge of wing pale yellow ;
under wing-coverts and lining to quills white: iris hazel ;
bill black, at tip whitish horn-coloured ; legs and feet yel-
lowish flesh-coloured. Total length 7-8 inches, culmen 0°6,
wing 2°1, tail 5:0, tarsus 0°9. (Type. Mt. St. Isabel, Nov. 17,
1902. Breeding.)
We obtained two specimens of this rare species on our
way up the mountain. They were shot in company with
several Sun-birds (Cinnyris preussi). This elegant little Tree-
Warbler seems to revel in the misty surroundings of the
mountain, travelling with dancing flight from one tall tree
to another.
Named after Mrs. Boyd Alexander.
57. CrypriLLas LOPESI.
Phliexis lopezi Alexander, Bull. B. O.C. xii. p. 48 (1903).
Adult. Upper parts chocolate-brown; quills and tail slightly
darker, the rufous shade being more confined to the edges of
the feathers ; lores and ear-coverts slightly more dusky than
the forehead and crown, from which they are separated by a
well-defined rufous-buff eyebrow; chin, throat, and centre
of breast rufous buff, shading into chocolate-brown on the
sides of the neck and body, thighs, aud under tail-coverts ;
lining of wing dusky brown, with the coverts rufous buff.
Total length 5°5 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 2-2, tail 29,
tarsus O'9. (Type. Moka, Dec. 15, 1902.)
The sexes are alike in plumage and measurements.
376 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
The nearest ally of this species is Phlowis rufescens Sharpe
(Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 9), from Mt. Ruwenzori, East Africa.
This species is confined to the southern portion of Fer-
nando Po. My collector first met with it in the Moka valley,
where he obtained a good series. It was very shy and diffieult
to approach, constantly dipping down to the bottom of the
grass after a short flight, and uttering im its hidden retreat
a series of ventriloquial whistles. In December breeding
had commenced.
Named after the author’s collector, Mr. Lopes.
58. CALAMOCICHLA POENSIS.
Calamocichla poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 37
(1903); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vit. p. 40 (1903) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, in. p. 108.
Adult male. Similar to C. brevipennis, but larger; primaries,
secondaries, and wing-coverts margined on their outer webs
with rufous ; upper tail-coverts rufous ; tail-feathers blackish
brown, tipped with white, the central narrowly margined
with rufous: iris bright hazel; upper mandible brown, lower
yellowish horn-coloured ; legs and feet bluish slate-coloured.
Total length 6°8 inches, culmen 0°8, wing 3:0, tail 2°75,
tarsus 1:15. (Type. Bilelipi, Nov. 24, 1902. Breeding.)
Adult male, C. brevipennis, St. Nicholas, Cape Verde
Islands, April 1897 (Alexander) :—Total length 6 inches,
culmen 0°6, wing 2°5, tail 2°5, tarsus 1:2.
The genus Calamocichla is closely allied to Lusciniola,
and represents a small but well-defined group of African
Warblers. Typical examples of L. gracilirostris differ
from C. brevipennis, C. newtoni, and the present species in
having the first primary proportionately longer, and more
than half the length of the second, the upper parts greenish
olive, and the under parts dull white, with none of the
yellowish-butff coloration which is always present in the
African Calamocichle.
The Fernando Po Reed-Warbler is very locally distributed
on the island. We only met with it on one occasion, when
it was found in the depths of thick fish-cane surrounding the
Birds of Fernando Po. 377
native huts of Bilelipi, a little “ Boobie” village, where we
pitched our tent prior to ascending the mouutain. We
constantly heard this bird about the camp, especially after a
fall of rain—its beautiful trill of notes, like those of C. brevi-
pennis (Alexander, Ibis, 1898, p. 83), never failing to arrest
our attention. ‘The alarm-note is a harsh ‘‘churr”’ several
times repeated.
_ 59. Puytioscorus rrocuitus (Linn.).
Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 5, 1902.
Ad. 2. Moka, Dec. 14, 1902.
60. ALeTHE casTanEA (Cass.).
Alethe castanea Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1153 (1896) ; Bocage,
Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 34 (1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn.
Golfo d. Guinea, ui. p. 107.
a. Ad. g. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
6. Ad. 2. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
Grade... Kibola, Nov: 2, 1902.
d. Ad. g. Ribola, Nov. 1, 1902. Iris hazel; bill black;
legs and feet bluish flesh-coloured.
é, Ads 6." Sipopo, Noy.3, 1902.
f. Imm. g. Sipopo, Nov. 4, 1902.
g. Imm. 2. Sipopo, Nov. 4, 1902.
Description of the young. Upper parts dull black, with pale
oval chestnut centres to each feather, becoming narrower on
the crown and nape; under parts chestnut-rufous, with
feathers of the fore-neck and chest fringed with black ;
under wing-coverts grey.
We found this bird widely distributed everywhere in the
undergrowth, flying low from bush to bush, always in a
very laboured manner. The note is a running “ churr,”
which is weak for the size of the bird. Whenever, after rain,
a swarm of driver-ants covered the ground and the branches
of the trees, these birds mustered in dozens, stealing with
low flight surreptitiously up to their prey, to disappear again
the next minute into the thicket.
61. ALETHE MOORI.
Alethe moori Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii, p. 87 (1908) ;
378 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 40 (1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, iii. p. 107.
Adult male. Anterior portion of crown cinereous; lores
blackish ; narrow eyebrow and remainder of upper parts
chestnut; quills dusky brown, outer webs chestnut ;_ tail-
feathers brownish chestnut, inclining to chestnut on the
outer webs ; chin and throat white, washed with cinereous ;
remainder of under parts leaden grey ; middle of abdomen
white; under wing-coverts leaden grey : iris reddish hazel ;
upper mandible black, lower slaty horn-coloured ; legs and
feet bluish slate-coloured. Total length 7*1 inches, culmen
0°8, wing 3:2, tail 2°85, tarsus 1°15.
Rare. Our single specimen was obtained at an altitude
of 6000 feet. This species is shy and keeps much to the
ground in the forest.
Named after Sir Ralph Moor, K.C.B., High Commissioner
of Southern Nigeria.
62. ALETHE POLIOCEPHALA (Bp.).
Trichophorus poliocephalus Bp. Consp. Av. 1. p. 262
(is50); Hartl: J. £. ©. A854, p.-255 1d OrmeW 2Atre peso
(1857: Fernando Po).
Criniger poliocephalus Finsch, J. f. O. 1867, p. 26 (Fer-
nando Po).
Alethe castanonota Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vu. p. 59,
pl. n. (1883).
Alethe poliocephala Bittik. Not. Leyd. Mus. vii. p. 177
. (1885) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1156 (1896); Salvad. Orn.
Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 107.
Callene hypoleuca Reichen. J. f, O. 1892, p. 221, Taf. ii. f. 3
(juv.: Kamerun).
Alethe hypoleuca Shelley, B. Afr. 1. p. 83 (1896).
Alethe alexandri Sharpe, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 4 (1901).
Ad. ¢ 2. Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 17, 1902.
The male differs slightly from the female in having the
crown, lores, ear-coverts, and sides of face brownish black,
and the breast tinged with pale buff.
Tris hazel ; bill black ; legs and feet whitish flesh-coloured.
Birds of Fernando Po. 379
This bird is scarce; it haunts the running brooks in the
vicinity of the hills. When perched, it has a peculiar way
of rapidly opening and closing its wings, after the manner
of a Wheatear.
This Alethe is the Criniger poliocephalus of Temminck,
originally obtained from the Gold Coast and Fernando Po,
the description agreeing with our present specimens from the
latter locality.
Alethe alexandri from Cameroon was separated from
A. castanonota on account of the sides of the face being
black, but this character is not constant.
Our male specimen, which is not quite adult (lower
mandible not entirely black), has the sides of the head and
crown almost reddish brown, and in this respect agrees with
specimens of A. castanonota from Fantee, in the British
Museum. In fully-adult birds this reddish coloration in the
plumage would disappear, as in our adult female specimen.
The figure of A. castanonota in the ‘Catalogue of Birds’ was
evidently taken from an immature bird, a reddish phase in
young birds being a character of this genus.
63. Nuocossypnus PoENsts (Strickl.).
Cossypha poensis Strickl. P. Z.S. 1844, p. 100 (Clarence,
Fernando Po: type, Brit. Mus.); id. Ann. & Mag. Nat.
Hist. xv. p. 126 (1845); Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped.
Niger, 11. App. p. 496 (1848: Fernando Po) ; Fraser, Zool.
Typ. pl. 37 (1849) ; Hart]. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 77 (1857:
Fernando Po) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 84 (1903:
Fernando Po).
Neocossyphus poensis Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1179 (1896) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 107.
Ad. 2. Ruibola, Oct. 31, 1902.
Total length (measured in flesh) 8°1 inches, culmen 0:76,
wing 4°3, tail 3°56, tarsus 1. Iris brown; bill brown ; legs
and feet flesh-coloured.
Uncommon ; frequenting furtively the open spots where
cocoa is grown on the borders of the forest.
This is a shy bird, never remaining in view for very long,
380 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
alighting quickly on the ground, the next moment to dis-
appear into the cover of some thick-leaved tree.
Range. From the Gold Coast to Cameroon; Gaboon and
Fernando Po.
64. CALLENE POENSIS.
Callene poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 37 (1903) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 40 (1908) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, iii. p. 106.
a. Ad. g. Near Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.
6. Ad. g (type). Bilelipi, Nov. 25, 1902.
c. Ad. fg. Mt. St. Isabel, Nov. 25, 1902.
d. Ad. 9. Moka, Dec. 16, 1902.
Adult. Upper parts olive-brown, inclining to blackish
brown on the crown; upper tail-coverts chestnut ; central
tail-feathers reddish brown, remainder chestnut, the two
outer margined with brown; quills, secondaries, and wing-
—coverts edged with olive-brown on their outer webs; sides
of face and remainder of under parts orange-red ; centre
of abdomen white; thighs olive-brown ; under wing-coverts
orange-rufous: iris brown; bill black; legs and feet slaty
flesh-coloured. Total length 5-2 inches, culmen 0°65, wing
29, tail 2:0, tarsus 1:05.
The nearest ally of this species is C. isabelle from Cameroon.
This Callene affects the high ground, where it is locally
distributed.
65. CALLENE ROBERTI.
Callene roberti Alexander, Bull. B.O. C. xiii. p. 37 (1908) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 40 (1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, 11. p. 106.
a. Ad. $ 9 (types), 6 g. Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 18,
1902. ‘
Adult male. General colour above olive-brown; quills and
secondaries blackish brown, with olive-brown edges to their
outer webs; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers chestnut,
three central feathers black ; lores olive-brown, washed with
red; a distinct white streak from the base of the bill to the
front part of the eye; chin, throat, and breast orange-rufous,
Birds of Fernando Po. 381
becoming deeper on the latter part; remainder of under
parts white; thighs blackish brown; under wing-coverts
white; liming to quills pale fulvous: iris black ; bill black ;
legs and feet blackish brown. Length 5 inches, culmen 0°6,
wing 2°6, tail 1°75, tarsus 0°85.
The sexes are alike in plumage. Nearest ally, C. cyorni-
thopsis Sharpe (Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 4) from Cameroon.
Rare. Frequents high ground. It is a silent and shy
bird, keeping much to the ground and low undergrowth.
Named after Captain Robert Alexander.
66. PRratINcoLa AxiLLaRis Shelley.
Pratincola axillaris Shelley, Birds Afr, 1. no, 1191 (1896).
Seven adult and two immature males. Moka, December
1902.
Confined to the southern portion of the island—in the
Moka Valley, which is overgrown with long grass and low
scattered bushes.
67. TuRDUS POENSIS.
Turdus poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O.C. xiii. p. 37 (1903) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vu. p. 40 (1903); Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, 11. p. 106.
a. Ad. g. Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 19, 1902.
b. Ad. 3 2 (types); ad. g. Bakaki, Nov. 20, 1902.
c. Ad. 3 6 3 g. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 10-12, 1902.
d. Ad. g. Moka, Dec. 138, 1902.
Adult, General colour of upper parts olive-brown ; pri-
maries brown, edged on their outer webs with olive-brown ;
outer webs of secondaries of the same colour as the back, with
indistinct blackish bars across the webs ; tail-feathers brown,
washed with olive on their outer webs; lores blackish ; chin
and throat white, with broad blackish-brown streaks to the
feathers; breast and flanks brown; feathers of the lower
breast with whitish crescentic terminal bands; abdomen and
under tail-coverts white; thighs brown ; axillaries and under
wing-coverts orange-rufous; lining to quills pale fawn-
coloured: iris hazel; bill yellow; legs and feet brown.
382 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Total length 8°2 inches, culmen 0°8, wing 4°2, tail 2:9,
tarsus 1:2.
The nearest ally of this species appears to be Turdus xan-
thorhynchus Salvad., from Prince’s Island.
This Thrush is by no means common, being confined to
the eastern and southern portions of the island, where it
frequents the wooded highlands.
68. LiopriLus CLAUDI.
Lioptilus claudei Alexander, Bull. B.O.C. xi. p. 34 (1903) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 89 (1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, ii. p. 103.
a. Ad. & (type). Bakaki, Nov. 17, 1902.
b. Ad. 6G. Bakaki, Nov. 17, 1902.
c. Ad. 2? (type); ad. g. Mount St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902.
d. Ad. 834 2%- Moka, Dec. 8-15, 1902.
Adult. Entire head, back, and scapulars cinereous, slightly
darker on the crown; rump and upper tail-coverts rufous
brown; quills, secondaries, and tail-feathers brown, edged
on their outer webs with rufous brown; chin and throat
cinereous, with slight white striations to the feathers ; breast
cinereous; centre of abdomen white; flanks washed with
rufous brown; under tail-coverts cinereous; feathers of thighs
rufous brown; under wing-coverts and lining to quills pale
tawny : iris black ; upper mandible brown, lower slaty horn-
coloured; legs and feet slaty flesh-coloured. (Type. St. Isabel,
Nov. 17, 1902.)
Total length 5:2 inches, culmen 0°55, wing 2°6, tail 2°25,
tarsus 0°9.
The sexes are similar in plumage and measurements.
This Lioptilus frequents high altitudes, and was the last
species observed near the summit of St. Isabel. Though the
birds were often obscured from view by the heavy mountain
mist, their pretty flute-like songs could be heard from the
tops of the trees. We generally observed them in small
parties of four or five.
The nearest ally of this species is L. abyssinicus, from
East Africa.
Named after my brother Mr. Claud Alexander, Ist Scots
Guards.
Birds of Fernando Po. 383
69. Muscicara crisoxa Linn.
Muscicapa grisola Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1308 (1896).
I obtained a specimen of this species on November 8,
1902, at Sipopo.
70. ALsEONAX oBscURA Sjost.
Alseonax obscura Sharpe, Hand-l. B. iii. p. 207 (1901).
Ad. g. Bakaki, Nov. 17,1902. Upper mandible brown,
lower one pale horn-brown at tip; legs and feet brown.
Frequents the tops of tall trees on the hills. It is more
plentiful in the southern portion of the island. At Moka
my collector obtained two male and five female specimens in
December.
The range of this species includes Cameroon and Fer-
nando Po.
71, CassINIA FRASERI (Strickl.).
Muscipeta frasert Strick]. P. ZS. 1844, p. 101 (Fernando
Po: type, Brit. Mus.) ; id. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xv. p. 128
(1845) ; Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger, ii. App.
p- 491 (1848: Fernando Po); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 95
(1857).
Butalis fraseri Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 318 (1850: Fernando
Po),
Smithornis fraseri Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 324. no. 4869
(1869: Fernando Po).
Cassinia frasert Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 8 (1895:
Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1332 (1896) ; Bocage,
Jorn. Lisb. (2) vu. p. 384 (1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn.
Golfo d. Guinea, i. 1038,
a. Ad. 2. Sipopo, Nov. 3, 1902.
b. Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 8, 1902.
c. Ad. g. Badasou, Noy. 11,702.
d. Ad. 2. Badasou, Nov. 11, 1902.
e. Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov. 16, 1902.
Uncommon, frequenting undergrowth of the hills.
These examples agree well with the type from Fernando
Po in the British Museum. On the other hand, specimens
from Gaboon and the Congo differ in having the general
coloration much more reddish brown, especially on the upper
Gizzard contained
beetles.
38 4 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
parts, becoming a deep rufous on the rump and upper tail-
coverts. This is the mainland form of C. fraseri, and is
referable to C. rubricauda of Hartlaub, which has hitherto
been made synonymous with C. fraseri.
The following specimens of C. rubricauda are in the
British Museum :—
3g. Landana (Petit).
d. 1882. Landana (Petit).
Ad. Gaboon.
9. Landana (Petit).
3. Congo (Bouvier).
Ad. Gaboon.
72. SmirnorNis sHarPu. (Plate VII.)
Smithornis sharpet Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 34
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 89 (1903); Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ui. p. 108.
a. Ad, 9. Bakaki, Nov. 15, 1902.
b. Ad. g. Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.
c. Ad. & (type); ad. 9. Bakaki, Nov. 20, 1902.
d. Ad. 2 (type). Mount St. Isabel, Nov. 25, 1902.
Adult. Entire head cinereous, with faint shaft-stripes ;
lores and frontal band bright rufous; ear-coverts cinereous ;
remainder of upper parts brownish rufous, becoming brighter
on the upper tail-coverts; feathers of the back with white
bases and with subterminal black bands ;_ tail-feathers
rufous brown, inclining to rufous on the outer edges ; quills
blackish brown ; sides of neck and fore-neck bright rufous ;
chin and throat white, with blackish streaks to the side-
feathers ; breast and remainder of under parts pale creamy
white, with blackish streaks to the feathers of the breast
and flanks; under wing-coverts fawn-coloured : iris brown ;
upper mandible black, lower whitish horn-coloured ; legs
and feet greenish.
Total length (measured in flesh) 6 inches, culmen 07,
wing 3'1, tail 1°8, tarsus 0°8.
The male is a little larger than the female, and is generally
brighter on the sides of the neck and breast. A near ally,
Ibis .1903 , Pl Vil.
J.G.Keulemans del.et lith
SMITHORNIS
SHARPEI
Mantern Bros ump
v . ei
F
we
im 6) ee
aa
oo
“
pir ©
. ius
#
a7
Birds of Fernando Po. 385
Smithornis zenkeri, has since been discovered by Dr. Zenker
in Cameroon. It differs from Smithornis sharpii in having
a brownish-olive shade on the upper parts instead of a clear
olive, aud the general coloration of the under parts duller,
especially the rufous on the neck and fore-neck, which
is Jess intense. There is a specimen of S. zenkeri in the
British Museum, obtained by Mr. Bates at Efulen, Cameroon.
This specimen is not fully adult, since there are pale tawny
spots on the wing-coverts. Itis, therefore, probable that the
Cameroon species will prove to be the immature form of
S. sharpti. We found our new Smithernis only at high
altitudes in thickly-wooded localities, where it was locally
distributed in pairs. It was breeding in November,
Retiring in nature, it seeks the misty dells and quiet
thickets of the mountain-side, where it remains inert for many
hours ; and then, when daylight begins to fade, wakes up
and utters from time to time a peculiar note—a grinding and
discordant “churr’’—to its mate, long after other birds
have fallen asleep.
73. DIAPHOROPHYIA CHLORGPHRYS.
Diaphorophyia chlorophrys Alexander, Bull. B.O.C,. xiii.
p. 34 (1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 39 (1903) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 111. p. 103.
a. Ad. g. Bakaki, Nov. 17, 1902.
6b. Ad. g. Near Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 18, 1902.
c. Ad. & (type); ad. 9. Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.
d. Ad. 2 (type) ; ad. d. Bakaki, Nov. 20, 1902.
e. Ad. g. St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902. |
Adult male. Glossy greenish black, brighter on the tail-
feathers ; breast and remainder of under parts rich creamy
yellow ; under wing-coverts white ; thighs black: iris bluish
black ; eye-wattle delicate grass-green ; legs and feet slaty
blue. Total length (measured in flesh) 4°2 inches, culmen
0°55, wing 2°1, tail 0°9, tarsus 0°8.
Adult female. Duller and with less gloss on the upper parts.
In the breeding-season, which is in November, the plumage
of this bird becomes richer and brighter, especially in the
SER. VIII.—VOL, III. rae 8
386 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
male. We found it in the vicinity of the Peak, and it was
also observed by my collector in the southern portion of the
island. It is by no means common, and frequents the under-
growth, flitting from shrub to shrub, the male from time
to time emitting a weak croaking note.
74, DiaApHoROPHYIA CASTANEA (Fraser).
Platystira castanea Fraser, P. Z. 8S. 1842, p. 141 (Clarence,
Fernando Po: type, Brit. Mus.); id. Ann. & Mag. Nat.
Hist. xii. p. 181 (1843) ; id. Zool. Typ. pl. xxxiv. fig. 2, 9
(1849).
Platystira leucopygialis Fraser, P. ZS. 1842, p. 141
(Clarence, Fe:nando Po) ; id. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xii.
p. 1381 (1843) ; Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger, ii.
App. p. 499 (1848: Fernando Po); Fraser, Zool. Typ.
pl. xxxiv. fig. 1, ¢ (1849) ; Hart]. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 95 (1857:
Fernando Po).
Diaphorophyia leucopyyialis Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil.
p- 33 (Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii.
pelol:
Diaphorophyia castanea Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1352
(1896); Sharpe, Hand-l. B. iii. p. 245 (1901).
We obtained a good series of this Flycatcher, which is
common in the low country. The males were generally
observed together, frequenting the woods and making their
presence known by their ventriloquial notes, which resemble
the croaking of a bull-frog.
Adult. Iris reddish brown; eye-wattle dirty claret-red ;
legs and feet pale lilac.
75. Batis POENSIS.
Batis poensis Alexander, Bull. B.O. C. xiii. p. 84 (1903) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 39 (1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, 111. p. 102.
Adult male. Similar to B. minulla, but differs in having
the entire crown black and the pectoral band much narrower ;
iris lemon-coloured. ‘Total length 3°6 inches, culmen 0:4,
wing 2:2, tail 1-4, tarsus 0°5. (Type. Bakaki, Nov. 14,
1902.)
Birds of Fernando Po. 387
Adult female. Similar to the female of B. minulla, but
differs in having the red pectoral band much narrower.
Total length 3°5 inches, culmen 0°4, wing 2°0, tail 1:3,
tarsus 0°5. (Type. Bakaki, Nov. 14, 1902.)
Not common. Seen on the tops of high trees.
76. TROCHOCERCUS ALBIVENTRIS Sj6stedt.
Trochocercus albiventris Sharpe, Hand-l. B. iti. p. 251
(1901).
a. Ad. @. Bakaki, Nov. 17, 1902. Ivis and bill black;
gs and feet brown.
6. Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov. 17, 1902.
ec. Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.
d. Ad. g@. Bakaki, Nov. 20, 1902.
e. Ad. g. Mount St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902.
f. Ad. 3. Mount St. Isabel, Nov. 26, 1902.
g. Ad. g. Pico Joaquin, Dec. 11, 1902.
These specimens agree well with an example of 7. a@lbi-
ventris in the British Museum obtained by Sir H. Johnston
from Cameroon. This uncommon Flycatcher is confined
to the high hills on the north and south sides of the island.
It frequents the leafy tops of high trees.
—
77. TeERPSIPHGNE TRICOLOR (Fraser).
Muscipeta (Tchitrea Less.) tricolor Fraser, P. Z.S. 1843,
p. 4 (Clarence, Fernando Po).
Muscipeta tricolor Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger,
il. App. p. 492 (1848: Fernando Po).
Tchitrea tricolor Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 90 (1857:
Fernando Po).
Terpsiphone tricolor, Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 8
(1895: Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 1892 (1896) ;
Sharpe, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 264 (1901); Bocage, Jorn.
Lisb.(2) vii. p. 33 (1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, 111. p. 102.
a. Ad. . Basupu, Oct. 29; 1902.
b. Ad. g. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902.
c. Ad. 6. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902.
d. Ad. g. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902.
358 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
e. Ad. g. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
f. Ad. 3. Bilelipi, Nov. 24, 1902.
Bill dark bluish slate-coloured ; legs and feet bluish lead-
coloured. Breeding.
Widely distributed at the base of the hills.
Tn the sunny glades of the forest the bright plumage of
this Flycatcher used frequently to arrest the eye as it flitted
airily from one branch to another, the male every now and
again uttering a soft running “ tiz.”
78. PsaLipopRocNE FULIGINOSA Shelley.
Psalidoprocne fuliginosa Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no, 1446
(1896) ; Sharpe, Hand-]. B. in. p. 202 (1901).
Psalidoprocne poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 34
(1903: Bakaki, Fernando Po); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vu.
p. 89 (1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 101.
On a more careful examination, I find that the characters of
P. poensis are not constant. A fully adult example brought
home by my collector subsequently to the publication of my
description is identical with the type of P. fuliginosa in the
British Museum. The general paler brown of the throat,
breast, and under wing-coverts, which served to separate my
former specimens from P. fuliginosa, is a sign of immaturity.
Adult male. Iris brown; legs and feet pinkish flesh-
coloured. Basakato, Nov. 12, 1903.
This species is locally distributed on the island. Small
parties frequent the open spots in the forest, where they
make use of the dead branches of trees as resting-places.
79. CYPSELUS POENSIS.
Cypselus poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xi. p. 383
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 88 (1903) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d, Guinea, iii. p. 116.
Adult male. Similar to C. unicolor Jard., but differs in
being considerably smaller. The upper parts are paler
brown, with little or no greenish gloss on the feathers ;
chin, throat, and fore-neck pale whitish. Total length
6°2 inches, culmen 0°25, wing 5:2, tail 2:4, tarsus O-4.
(Type. Sipopo, Nov. 6, 1902.)
Birds of Fernando Po. 389
At Sipopo, on November 6, towards evening, a flock of
these Swifts suddenly appeared in the vicinity of our house,
which was situated on high ground, about two miles from
the sea. We observed these birds on several other
occasions.
There is a specimen of Tachornis gracilis in the British
Museum labelled “ Fernando Po,” but the locality may be
doubted (see p. 400).
80. HitrERorroGoN FRANCISCI.
Heterotrogon francisct Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 33
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 38 (1903: Fernando
Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 116.
Adult female. Allied to H. vittatum, but differs in being
considerably smaller, and in having the white bars on the
greater wing-coyerts and secondaries wider and more distinct :
iris reddish brown; upper mandible black, lower orange-
yellow ; soft parts orange-yellow ; legs and feet yellowish
flesh-coloured. Total length (measured in flesh) 9°4 inches,
culmen 0:6, wing 4°4, tail 4°9, tarsus 0°6.
Type. Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 18, 1902. Breeding.
This is a rare bird, and is one of the best discoveries made
by my collector. Its scarcity can be judged by the fact
that the Boobie hunters had never seen it before. It is very
shy and keeps much to the undergrowth. My collector
obtained only one specimen out of a pair which he saw.
Named after Colonel Boyd Francis Alexander.
81. Eurystomus euxaris Vieill.
Eurystomus gularis Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p.7 (1895 :
Santa Isabel, Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. no. 1511
(1896); Sharpe, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 47 (1900) ; Bocage,
Jorn, Lisb. (2) vii. p. 31 (1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn.
Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 117.
Observed on one occasion only.
82. MerRops MARION.
Merops marionis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C, xiii. p. 33 (1903) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 389 (1903) ; Salvad. Orn. Gol fo
d. Guinea, i. p. 117.
390 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Adult male. Similar to M. northcotti Sharpe, but differs
in having the black band round the throat wider. It is also
larger.
Adult (M. marione). Bakaki, 4000 ft., Nov. 17, 1902.
Total length 8:4 inches, culmen 1:4, wing 3°5, tail 3:3,
tarsus 0-4. Iris red; legs and feet dull purplish black.
Adult (M. northcotti). British Museum. Gold Coast.
Length 7:2 inches, culmen 1:2, wing 3°3, tail 3°5.
We first met with this Bee-eater at Basakato, near
Bakaki. Our second specimen was obtained at an elevation
of 4000 ft. Found in pairs.
Named after Miss Marion Alexander.
83. IsprpIna LEUCOGASTRA (Fraser).
Halcyon leucogaster Fraser, P. Z. 8. 1843, p. 4 (Clarence,
Fernando Po: type, Brit. Mus.) ; Allen & Thomson, Narr.
Exped. Niger, 11. p. 503 (1848: Fernando Po).
Alcedo leucogaster Fraser, Zool. Typ. pl. xxxii. (1849) ; Bp.
Consp. Ay. 1. p. 159 (1850: Fernando Po).
Ispidina leucogastra Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 7
(1895: Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 1610 (1896) ;
Sharpe, Hand-l. B. u. p. 54 (1900); Reichen. Voég.
Afrikas, 1. p. 288 (1902: Fernando Po) ; Bocage, Jorn.
Lisb. (2) vu. p. 81 (1903: Fernando Po).
Ispidina leucogaster Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 116.
Occasionally observed along the mountain-streams.
84, Hatcyon LoPEst.
Halcyon lopezi Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 83 (1908) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 388 (1903); Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d.Guinea 1g ps 177:
Adult female. Upper parts and sides of head dark chest-
nut ; quills black; secondaries black, with a subquadrate
speculum of bluish green; lower back, rump, and upper
tail-coverts light bluish green; tail-feathers bluish green,
edged on their inner webs and broadly tipped with black ;
entire under parts white; under wing-coverts white: iris
brown; eyelids coral-red ; bill dark coral-red ; legs and feet
coral. Total length (measured in flesh) 8°6 inches, culmen
Birds of Fernando Po. 591
1:7, wing 4:0, tail 2°2, tarsus 0°5. (Type. Sipopo, Nov. 6,
1902.)
This Kingfisher differs from its near ally H. badius in
its larger dimensions, and in the nearly square shape of thie
speculum on the wings.
It inhabits woods close to the sea.
85. TuRACUS MERIANI (Rupp.).
Turacus meriani Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1650 (1896).
a. Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov. 14, 1902. Iris brown; eyelids
coral-red ; bill yellow, base of upper and lower mandibles
coral-red ; legs and feet black.
b. Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov. 19, 1902.
c. Ad. 9. Moka Lake, Dec. 12, 1902.
Common in the wooded hills, and found in pairs which resort
to tall thick-leaved trees. The note is a guttural grunt, like
that of a bull-frog; in the male it is louder and more pro-
longed. In the early morning, long before the mists had
cleared off the hills, we used to hear these peculiar cries,
sometimes almost in unison like the ‘ gobbling” of many
Turkeys.
86. CoryrH£o1a cristara (Vieill.).
Corytheola cristata Schal. J. f. O. 1886, p. 55 (Fernando
Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1660 (1896) ; Bocage, Jorn.
Lisb. (2) vii. p. 832 (1903: Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, ui. p. 118.
Zizorhis gigantea Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger,
ii. App. p. 504 (1848: Fernando Po).
Turacus giganteus Uartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 125 (Fernando
Po) ; id. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 159 (1857).
a. Ad. g. Builelipi, Nov, 25, 1902.
Iris bright hazel; bill yellow, tip of bill black, fore-tip
banded with red; legs and feet dull blackish brown.
Found amongst the hills in small parties.
On the way up the mountain our “ Boobie” hunter killed
one of these birds. Immediately others came round and
proved very bold, uttering the whole time hoarse croaks,
392 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
which can be heard at a long distance and sound resonant in
the hill-valleys.
By the white inhabitants this bird is generally known as
“ pheasant.” Native name “ kee-so.”
The natives are fond of adorning their hats with the
pinion- and tail-feathers of this bird.
87. CEUTHMOCHARES #NEUs (Vieill.).
Ceuthmochares eneus (Vieill.) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv.
p- 7 (1895: Santa Isabel, Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. i.
no. 1680 (1896); Sharpe, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 172 (1900) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 82 (1903: Fernando Po) ,
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 118.
Zanclostomus flavirostris Fraser (nec Swains.), P. Z. 8.
1843, p. 52 (Fernando Po) ; Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped.
Niger, il. p. 221 (1841).
a, Ad. 9. Basupu, ‘Oct. 30; 1902. Bill yellow; amas
claret-red ; soft parts blue. Iris of young bird brown ;
upper mandible brown, lower pale horn-coloured.
6. Ad. g. Basupu, Oct. 31, 1902.
c. Ad. g.: Bakaki, Nov. 11, 1902.
A common bird, haunting the thick trees, through which
it works its way with wonderful agility. The young were
abroad in November. Native name “ Bu-e saw-e-saw.”
88. CHuRYsococcYyxX SMARAGDINEUS (Swains. ).
Chrysococcyx smaragdineus Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv.
p. 11 (1895: Fernando Po, observed) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i.
' no. 1709 (1896) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 32 (1908:
Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 118.
Metallococcyx smaragdineus Sharpe, Hand-l. B. i. p. 161
(1900).
Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 9, 1902.
89. Curysococcyx cupreus (Bodd.).
Chrysococcyx cupreus Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1712 (1896) ;
Sharpe, Hand-l. B. 1. p. 161 (1900); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb.
(2) vu. p. 82 (1903: Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d.
Guinea, 11. p. 118.
Birds of Fernando Po. 393
Chalcites auratus Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger,
li. p. 221 (1848).
Chrysococcyx auratus Hartl. Orn, W.-Afr. p. 190 (1857 :
Fernando Po).
Ad. 9. Moka, Dec. 14, 1902.
90. INDICATOR POENSIS.
Indicator poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 83
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 39 (1903) ; Salvad.
Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 119.
Adult male. Similar to J. evilis, but smaller. Crown and
nape ashy grey ; white patch near nostril very distinct ; base
of forehead dusky black ; band below cheeks and ear-coverts
dusky ; under parts pale ashy grey, fading into whitish on
the chin ; thigh-coverts with dark shaft-stripes: iris hazel ;
bill black, horn-coloured at base of lower mandible ; legs and
feet greenish. Length 4°3 inches, culmen 0°35, wing 2°5,
tail 1:45, tarsus 0°45. (Type. Bakaki, Nov. 9, 1902.)
This new species comes close to Indicator willcocksi Alex-
ander, from the Gold Coast.
The key for these small West-African Honey-guides reads
as follows :—
a. Crown ashy brown, slightly washed with yellow and
mottled with darker centres to the feathers.
a’, A dusky band below cheeks and ear-coverts.
Gers) udder paris Aghiv aia. daate ctotayaes ca. 6 #76) « TI, evilis.
b. Crown golden olive, slightly striped with blackish
centres to the feathers ; upper parts almost uniform.
b'. No dusky band below cheeks and ear-coyerts.
6". Under parts ashy olive, fading into creamy
white on the lower breast and abdomen .... J. willcockst,
e. Smaller ; wing 2°5; crown ashy grey.
e’. Dusky blackish band below cheeks and_ ear-
coverts.
ce’, Under parts pale ashy grey, fading into whitish
OMETROICHUML jy crseeinte sa ol a) ape) oislares0' el alu ¢ 40's aie I, poensis,
91. Barsatuta LEvcotzMA J. & E. Verr.
Barbatula leucolema Shelley B. Afr. 1. no, 1773 (1896) ;
Sharpe, Hand-l. B. i. p. 182 (1900).
a. Ad. 2. Ribola, Nov. 2, 1902.
oO 4 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
6. Ad. 2. Bakaki, Nov. 18, 1902. Legs and feet dull
black.
c. Ad. g 868462. Moka, Dec. 7-14, 1902.
Well distributed in the wooded hills. More plentiful in
the southern portion of the island.
92. BaRBATULA sUBSULPHUREA (Fraser).
Bucco subsulphureus Fraser, P. Z. 8. 1843, p. 3 (Fernando
Po); Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger, ii. App. p. 504
(1848 : Fernando Po) ; Fraser, Zool. Typ. pl. 52 (1849).
Barbatula subsulphurea Harti. J. £. O. 1854, p. 195 (Ker-
nando Po); Verr, P.Z.S. 1859; p. 392 (Fernando Poe
Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1774 (1896) ; Sharpe, Hand-l. B. ii.
p- 182 (1900) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 31 (1903:
Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo di Guinea, ii. p. 119.
a. Ad. g. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902.
b. Ad. 9. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902.
c. Ad. @. Ribola, Oct. 31, 1902.
d. Ad. @. Bakaki, Nov. 9, 1902.
e. Ad. ¢. Bakaki, Nov. 9, 1902.
Common in the low country.
93. BARBATULA scoLopacea (Temm.).
Barbatula scolopacea Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 7
(1895: Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1776 (1896) ;
Sharpe, Hand-l. B. 1. p. 182 (1900); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb.
(2) vil. p. 81 (1903: Fernando Po).
Buco stellatus Jard. & Fraser, Contr. Orn. 1851, p. 155
(Clarence, Fernando Po).
Xylobucco scolopacea Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 174 (1857:
Fernando Po); Verr. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 397 (Fernando Po).
Xylobucco scolopaceus Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ili.
p. 119:
Abundant, frequenting the lowlands in small parties on
the tops of high trees.
Ad. ¢. Basupu, Oct. 29, 1902. Iris lemon-yellow; bill
dark bluish slate-coloured; legs and feet slate-coloured.
Note, a loud “ click.”
Birds of Fernando Po. 395
94, DiNDROMUS POENSIS.
Campothera poensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 38
(1903) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 89 (1903); Salvad.
Orn. Golfo di Guinea, ii. p. 119.
a. Ad. & (type). Besoso, Nov. 138, 1902.
b, Ad. 9 (type). Bakaki, Nov. 14, 1902.
e¢. Ad. @. Builehpi, Nov. 24, 1902.
d. Ad. dg. Bilelipi, Nov. 25, 1902
Adult male. Similar to D. nivosus, but the forehead, crown,
and occiput light brown; chin, ear-coverts, and sides of face
white striped with brownish black ; under parts with scarcely
any shade of olive: iris bright hazel; bill brownish lead-
coloured; feet greenish. Length 6°3 inches (measured in
flesh), culmen 0°75, wing 3:3, tail 1°65, tarsus 0°65.
A shy bird and difficult to obtain, frequenting the wooded
hills. The food of this Woodpecker consists principally of
black ants and their larve.
95. Vinaco catva (Temm. & Knip).
Treron calva Bocage, Jorn, Lisb. (2) iv. p. 11 (1895: Fer-
nando Po).
Vinago calva Shelley, B. Africa, i. no. 1851 (1896); Sharpe,
Hand-l. B. i. p. 52 (1899) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, m1.
p. 120.
Ad. g. Sipopo, Nov. 3, 1902.
Ad. 2. Basupu, Oct. 30, 1902.
Iris blue ; bill bluish horn-coloured, soft parts crimson 3;
legs and feet orange-yellow.
A common Pigeon in the vicinity of cultivation. The
typical V. calva is found in Loango and Angola. Our two
specimens from Fernando Po agree well with the Angola
specimens in the British Museum and with those from
Cameroon and Gaboon. On the other hand, specimens
from Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast differ from the typical
V. calva in having the grey neck and collar brighter and
more distinct, and the under parts of a pale greenish olive
instead of yellowish greenish olive. This form is the Vinago
calva sharpii of Reichenow (Orn. Monatsb. 1902, p. 45).
306 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Ranges :
Vinago calva.
West Africa, from Cameroon across to Fernando Po,
and Prince’s Island, ranging as far south as Angola.
Vinago sharpii.
West Africa, from Sierra Leone to River Niger.
96. Turtur semirorquatus (Riipp.).
Lurtur semitorquatus (Riipp.) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1878
(1896).
Streplopelia semitorquata Sharpe, Hand-l. B. i. p. 78
(1899).
a. Ad. §. Bilelipi, Nov. 24, 1902.
b. Ad. g. Moka, Dec. 16, 1902.
Common in the neighbourhood of the coast.
97. HapLoprnia simpcex (Hartl.).
Haplopelia simplex, Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1878 (1896).
Haplopelia poensis Alex. Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 83 (1903:
Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 121.
We obtained two female specimens of this species. One
of these agrees well with two typical female specimens of
H. simplex from San Thomé.
Immature female. Forehead and front of crown vinous
white ; occiput and hind-neck with a coppery purplish gloss ;
remainder of upper parts brown, with a purplish gloss on the
feathers of the wings and back; sides of neck vinous rufous ;
chin white; breast and under parts vinous rufous, with a
- strong coppery purplish gloss on the fore-neck in certain
lights ; under tail-coverts cinereous : bill black; cere lead-
coloured; legs and feet claret-coloured. Total length
(measured in flesh) 10 inches, culmen 0°85, wing 5°9, tail 3°2,
tarsus 1°15. (Bakaki, 4000 feet, Nov. 19, 1902.)
The gizzard contained a large number of gnats.
This is the type of my H. poensis, but since writing the
description of that form I have come to the conclusion that it
is the immature bird of H. simplex, which apparently passes
through a distinct rusty reddish phase of plumage during
the first year.
Birds of Fernando Po. B97
The fact that these two female specimens were obtained
in the same locality within a day of each other, and most
probably from the same flock, makes it difficult to suppose
that they are of different species.
This Ground-Pigeon is very shy and keeps much to the
thick undergrowth in small flocks.
98. TyMPANISTRIA BICOLOR Reichenb.
Peristera tympanistria Fraser, P. Z. 8S. p. 53 (1843: Fer-
nando Po; breeding); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 197 (1857).
Tympanistria frasert Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 67 (1854: Fer-
nando Po).
Tympanistria tympanistria Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1893
(1896) ; Sharpe, Hand-l. B. i. p. 83 (1899) ; Boecage, Jorn.
Lisb. (2) vu. p. 387 (1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo
d. Guinea, i. p. 121.
a. Imm. g. Sipopo, Nov. 6, 1902.
5. Ad. g. Basakato, Nov. 12, 1902.
c. Imm. ¢. Bakaki, Nov. 15, 1902.
Locally distributed in pairs in the woods where there are
open clearings, and in the cocoa-plantations.
This is a shy species, darting away with a rapid and straight
flight at the approach of footsteps.
99. Psirracus pritHacus Linn.
Psittacus erithacus Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 10 (1895 :
Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 1915 (1896) ; Reichen.
Vog. Afrikas, 11. p. 2 (1902: Fernando Po); Bocage, Jorn.
Lisb. (2) vil. p. 88 (1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn.
Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 119.
Constantly observed passing high overhead in large flocks.
It is a migrant to the island.
100. Mitvus zeyrtius (Gm.).
Milvus eagyptins Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 10 (1895:
Fernando Po) ; Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 2011 (1896) ; Sharpe,
Hand-l. B. i. p. 268 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 609
(1901: Fernando Po); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 38 (1903;
Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 120,
Occasionally observed about the harbours,
898 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
101. Astur Loprsi Alexander.
Astur lopezi Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 49 (1908) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 120.
Adult male. Above blackish slate-coloured ; crown, nape,
and sides of neck slaty blue, paler on the last ; chin and throat
white, the lower part washed with pale vinous chestnut ;
remainder of under parts bright vinous chestnut, with
remains of whitish cross-bars, especially on the breast ;
centre of abdomen and under tail-coverts white; tail-feathers
black tipped with white, and with three irregular white spots
on their inner webs; under tail-coverts white, barred with
vinous chestnut: iris black; cere yellow; legs and feet
orange-yellow ; claws black. ‘Total length 13 inches, culmen
0-9, wing 7°3, tail 6°2, tarsus 2:3. (Type. Moka, Dec. 11,
1902.)
This species is allied to A. toussenelli (Verr.), but differs
in the coloration of the under parts and thighs and in being
smaller. ;
Range. Cameroon and Fernando Po.
102. PsrupocyPs AFRICANUS (Salvad.).
Pseudogyps africanus Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 2094 (1896) ;
Sharpe, Hand-l. B. i. p. 242 (1899).
Ad. ¢. Near Sipopo, Nov. 8, 1902.
This bird is locally distributed along the coast-line. It is
much prized for food by the natives.
103. ARDEA GULARIS Bosc,
Ardea gularis Bosc; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) iv. p. 11
(1895: Fernando Po); Shelley, B. Afr. 1. no. 2120 (1896) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 88 (1903: Fernando Po) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ni. p. 122.
Lepterodius gularis Sharpe, Hand-l. B. i. p. 196 (1899).
An adult female was obtained on an islet called Leven,
~ off Banterbari, where a colony of these birds breeds.
4-104, Aeratitis puBIA (Scop.).
Zigialitis dubia Shelley, B. Afr.i. no, 2471 (1896) ; Sharpe,
Hand-l. B. i. p. 154 (1899).
One specimen obtained near Sipopo, Nov. 8, 1902.
Birds of Fernando Po. 599
105. TrincotpEs Hypotzucus (Linn.).
Totanus hypoleucus Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 2494 (1896).
Tringoides hypoleucus Sharpe, Hand-l. B. i. p. 161 (1899) ;
Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. (2) vii. p. 37 (1903: Fernando Boys
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 121.
Frequently observed along the creeks of the shore-line.
Part I1I.—Lisr or Birps recorpED AS OCCURRING IN FEr-
NANDO Po By PREVIOUS AUTHORS, SPECIMENS OF WHICH
WERE NOT OBTAINED ON THE PRESENT OCCASION.
1. ZostEROPS BRUNNEA Salvad.
Speirops brunnea Salvad. Boll. Mus. Torino, xviii. no. 442
(1903: Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d, Guinea, iii.
p- 106.
2. LAMPROcOLIUS SPLENDIDUS (Vieill.).
Lamprotornis chrysonotus Swaius. ; Fraser, P. Z. S. 1843,
p-. 52 (Fernando Po).
Lamprocolius splendidus Salyad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii.
p: 115.
3. LAamproco.ius PuRPUREUS Miill.
Lamprocolius auratus Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 117 (1857:
Fernando Po).
Lamprocolius purpureus Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii.
p. 115.
4, ONYCOGNATHUS HARTLAUBI Gray.
Onycognathus hartlaubt Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiii.
p. 166 (1890) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 115.
5. LANIARIUS SULPHUREIPECTUS (Less.).
Laniarius chrysoyaster Hartl. Orn, W.-Afr. p. 107.
(Fraser.)
Laniarius sulphureipectus Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea,
il. p. 104.
6. ANDROPADUS GRACILIROSTRIS Strick.
Andropadus gracilirostris Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped.
Niger, 11. p. 497 (1848). (Fraser.)
400 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
7. XENOCICHLA ALBIGULARIS Sharpe.
Xenocichla albigularis Sharpe, Cat. B. vi. p. 103, pl. vii. fig. 1.
Xenocichla tricolor Salvad. (nec Cass.) Orn. Golfo d.
Guinea, iil. p. 110.
Professor Bocage’s description (Jorn. Lisb. (2) vil. p. 35)
of a specimen obtained by Mr. Newton in Fernando Po
answers well to the type of X. albigularis in the British
Museum.
8. EREMOMELA BADIcEPs (Fraser).
Sylvia badiceps Fraser, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 144 (Clarence,
Fernando Po).
Eremomela badiceps Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 11.
po log,
9. Fraserta ocreata Strickl.
Tephrodornis ocreatus Strickl. P. Z. 8. 1844, p. 102 (Fer-
nando Po: type, Brit. Mus.).
Fraseria ochreata Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ili. p. 103.
10. TERPSIPHONE ATROCHALYBEA (Thomson).
Tchitrea atrochalybeia Allen & Thomson, Narr. Exped.
Niger, 11. p. 494 (1848: Fernando Po),
Terpsiphone atrochalybea Reichen. J. f. O. 1875, p. 24
(Cameroon) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 102.
The type, stated to have been obtained by Thomson in
Fernando Po, and now in the British Museum, agrees well
with specimens from San Thomé. It is curious that this
remarkable-looking bird should have escaped our notice,
but, as it occurs in Cameroon, it is quite possible that the
locality assigned to it by Thomson may be correct.
1]. Tacnornis GRAcILIS (Sharpe).
Cypselus ambrosiacus Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 24 (1857:
Fernando Po) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 116.
12. CHZTURA SABINII Gray.
Chetura sabinei Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 25 (1857: Fer-
nando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iii. p. 116.
Acanthyhs bicolor Strickl. P. Z. 8. 1844, p. 99 (Fer-
nando Po).
Birds of Fernando Po. 401
13. CuratogyMNa aTrata (Temm.).
Buceros atratus Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 162 (Fernando Po).
Buceros poensis Fraser, P. Z. 8S. 1853, p. 14 (Fernando Po).
Ceratogymna atrata Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii. p. 117.
14. Creryxe rupis (Linn.).
Ispida bicincta Fraser, P. Z. 8. 1848, p. 51 (Fernando Po).
Ceryle rudis Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 37 (1857: Fer-
nando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 116.
15. Hancyon cyanoxevcus (Vieill.).
Halcyon cyanoleuca Bocage, Jorn, Lisb. (2) iv. p. 7 (1895:
Banks of Shark River, Fernando Po, Newton).
16. Hatcyon pryas Hartl.
Halcyon cinereifrons part. Hartl. Beitr. Orn, W.-Afr. p. 18,
no. 58 (1850: Fernando Po); id. J. f. O. 1854, p. 2 (Fer-
nando Po, Fraser); id. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 32 (Fernando Po,
Fraser, 1857).
Halcyon dryas Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 248 (Fernando Po,
Fraser) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. no. 1627 (1896) ; Salvad. Orn.
Golfo d. Guinea, 11. p. 117.
17. Turacus Burroni (Vieill.).
Corythaix buffont Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 156 (1857: Fer-
nando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 117.
18. Cucutus sonrrarius (Steph.).
Cuculus rubiculus Swains.; Fraser, P. Z. S. 18438, p. 52
(Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. p. 118.
19. Acapornis PuLLARIA (Linn.).
Agapornis pullaria Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 168 (1857;
Fernando Po); Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, iu. p. 119.
20. Srrix FLAMMEA Linn.
Strix poensis Fraser, P. Z. 8. 1842, p. 189 (Fernando Po) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii, p. 120.
21. Buso vornsis Fraser.
Bubo poensis Fraser, P. Z. S. 1853, p. 13 (Fernando Po) ;
Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, in. p. 120.
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. 2D
402 Mr. Boyd Alexander on the
Bubo fasciolatus Hart]. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 18 (Fernando Po,
Fraser).
22. GYPOHIERAX ANGOLENSIS (Gm.).
Gypohierax angolensis Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 1 (Fernando
Po, Fraser) ; Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 11. p. 120.
23. VANELLUS ALBICEPS.
Vanellus albiceps Gould, P. Z. 8S? 1834, p. 45; Allen &
Thomson, Narr. Exped. Niger, 1. p. 508 (1848: River
Quorra, West Africa); Hartl.. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 214 (Fer-
nando Po, Fraser).
Sarciophorus albiceps Fraser, Zool. Typ. pl. Ixiv. (1849:
Fernando Po).
Xiphidiopterus albiceps Salvad. Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, ii.
p. 121.
According to Messrs. Allen and Thomson, the type of
this species was obtained by Capt. Allen from the Quorra,
West Africa, during his expedition up that river, and not
from Fernando Po. Gould, in his original description of the
species also supports this statement.
Part I[V.—OrnitHoLoGicaL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FERNANDO Po.
1834. GouLp, J.—Ona Collection of Objects of Zoology made by Lieut.
Allen. P. Z.S. 1884, p. 45.
1837. Swarnson, W.—Birds of Western Africa, Jardine’s Naturalist’s
Library, vols. vi. & viii. Edinburgh, 1837, 8vo.
1842. Fraser, L.—On some new Species of Birds, constituting part of
his Collection formed at Fernando Po. P.Z.S. 1842, pp. 141-142,
144-145, 189-190.
1843. Fraser, L.—On some new Species of Birds from Fernando Po.
P. Z. 8. 18438, pp. 3-5.
1848. Fraser, L.—On Eight new Species of Birds from Western Africa.
P. Z. 8S. 1848, pp. 16-17.
1843. Fraszr, L.—On various Species of Birds procured on the West
Coast of Africa. P. Z.S. 1848, pp. 51-53.
1844.
1848.
1849,
1905.
1905.
1905.
1905.
Birds of Fernando Po. 403
SrrickLAnp, H. E.—Descriptions of some new Species of Birds
brought by Mr. L. Fraser from Western Africa. P. Z. S. 1844,
pp- 99-102.
ALLEN, W., and THomson, T. R. H.—A Narrative of the
Expedition sent by Her Majesty’s Government to the River
Niger, in 1841, under the Command of Captain H. D. Trotter,
R.N. London: 1848, 8vo, two volumes, Aves, Appendix ii.
pp. 488-508,
Fraser, l.— Zoologia Typica, or Figures of new and rare Mammals
and Birds described in the ‘ Proceedings’ or exhibited in the
Collections of the Zoological Society of London. London;
1849, fol., pp. viii, 70, pls. 70 [birds, pls. 29-70].
JARDINE, W.—Birds of Western Africa, Collections of L. Fraser,
Esq. Contributions to Ornithology for 1851, pp. 151-156.
Fraser, L.—Descriptions of Two new Birds from Fernando Po.
P. ZS, 1853, pp. 15-14. (Bubo poensis and Buceros poensis.)
Hartiavus, G.—Beschreibung einiger neuen Vogelarten. Journ.
f. Orn. 1855, p. 853, (T'richophorus poliocephalus Temm., p. 358,
Fernando Po.)
Harriaus, G.—System der Ornithologie Westafrica’s. Bremen:
1857, 8vo, pp. xviii, 230.
Bocace, Barsoza bu, J. V.—-Subsidios para a Fauna da ha do
Fernando Pé. Ll. Aves. Jornal Ac. R. Sci. Lisboa, ser, 2, iv.
pp. 7-11 (1895).
ALEXANDER, Boyp.—Descriptions of new Species of Birds from
the Island of Fernando Po. Bull. B. O. C. xiti. pp, 33-38
48-49, 53.
Bocaas, Barsoza Du, J. V.—Contribution 4 la Faune des quatres
Iles du Golfe de Guinée. Aves. Jornal Ac. R. Sci. Lisboa,
ser. 2, vii. pp. 30-40 (1903).
Satvaport, T.—Caratteri di due nuove Specie di Uccelli di Fer-
nando Po. Boll. Mus, Tor, no, 442, p. 1. (Spetrops brunnea,
Turdinus bocaget.)
Satvapori, T.—Contribuzioni alla Ornitologia delle Isole del
Golfo di Guinea, ILI. Uccelli di Anno-bom e di Fernando Po,
Mem. R. Ace. d. Se. di Torino. Torino, 1903,
2D2
AOA Mr. H. E. Dresser on rare and
XXXIII.—On some rare and unfigured Eggs of Palearctic
Birds. By H. HE. Dresser, F.Z.8. &e.
(Plate X.)
Tue eggs represented in the accompanying Plate have all been
55 pany
received from Mr. N. Zarudny, and are, I believe, now figured
for the first time. The field-notes respecting the species have
been communicated to me by the same gentleman, at whose
request I have great pleasure in publishing them.
(1) Saxicora curysopyera (De Filippi). Red-tailed:
Wheatear, “(PI X: fie. 15:)
Of this species only the single egg now figured was sent ;
it was obtained by Mr. Zarudny on the 25th of May, 1892,
in Transeaspia. The nest of this Wheatear is, like that of
its allies, placed on the ground in stony places, and usually
on mountain-sides, at varying altitudes, from the base of the
hills to a considerable height. The eggs are white, with a
bluish tinge, very finely dotted at the larger end with pale
red, ‘The specimen figured measures 0°77 by 0°65 inch.
(2) Luscinrota inpica (Jerdon). Indian Hill-Warbler.
(Pl. X. figs. 14, 16.)
Of this bird I have received a clutch of three eges, which
were taken by Mr. B. R. Kareeff at Tyschkan, Djarkensky
Uyest, on the 30th of May, 1899, from a nest on the
southern slope of the Boro-choro Mountain. 'The nest was
placed in a dense patch of nettles, about a foot above the
ground, in a place where small bushes and high grass were
intermingled, and where junipers were growing on the cliffs,
at an altitude of about 6500 feet.
The measurements of the nest (text-fig. 12, p. 405) are as
follows :—
mm. i.
From front to back. ....0.... LU6 (4:52)
From right to left ...... or 35 (5°31)
Smallest diameter .......... 70 (2°75)
Height of entrance-hole...... 45 (1°77)
Width of entrance-hole .... . 48 (1:89)
The outer wall of the nest is composed of grass bents and
Ibis, 1908. Pl. X.
André & Sleigh
EGGS OF PAL/ARCTIC BIRDS.
unfigured Eggs of Palearctic Birds. 4.05
blades, the central and inner portions of similar, but finer
materials, and the lining throughout of soft downy feathers,
the entire fabric being firmly and closely constructed. The
Text-fig, 12.
Nest of Lusciniola indica.
female was taken on the nest and the eggs were therefore
thoroughly authenticated. ‘Two of the eggs are figured, the
third having been unfortunately broken in its transit from
Russia.
(3) Passer yatir Sharpe. Afghan Sparrow. (Pl. X.
figs. 1—4..)
Mr. Zarudny met with this Sparrow breeding in South-
eastern Persia, and was the first naturalist to obtain its eggs,
of which he has sent me several clutches. The eggs of this
species are from four to six in number, and vary from stone-
grey to grey in ground-colour, more or less marked and
spotted with warm brown. In almost every clutch one
egg has the ground-colour white, and is but sparingly
marked with brown (sce fig. 2). Four eggs are figured in
order to show the variations: all of them were taken by
Mr. Zarudny in Seistan, in the first and second weeks of
June 1901.
406 Mr. H. E. Dresser on rare and
(4) Passer AMMOoDENDRI, Severtzoff. Saxaul Sparrow.
(PI. X. figs. 5-8.)
Four eggs of this bird were taken by Mr. Zarudny at
Tedjeur, Transcaspia, on the 17th of May, 1892, and at
Repetek, Transcaspia, on the 4th of May, 1892. The nest of
this Sparrow resembles that of Passer domesticus, bemg some-
times open and at other times with an entrance at the side.
It is constructed of saxaul twigs, and lined with camel’s hair
and feathers. It is usually placed in a saxaul tree, and not
unfrequently in the outer portion of the nest of a Kite or
other bird-of-prey. This Sparrow also builds occasionally in a
ruined hut or even in the side of a well, or ina fissure on the
steep slope of asand-hill. In some clutches one egg is much
paler than the rest (see fig. 7), but it appears that this is not so
often the case as it is with Passer yatii. The eggs received
from Mr. Zarudny average 0°75 by 0°57 inch in dimensions.
(5) Anruus simitis (Jerdon). Brown Rock - Pipit.
(PUSS: fies. 125135.)
A clutch of four eggs, two of which are figured, is in the
collection— but in a very dilapidated state, having been
much incubated when taken by Mr. Zarudny, at Noukabad,
in Baluchistan, on the 2nd of May, 1901. The nest of this
Pipit is roughly constructed of grass, and is placed on the
ground amongst herbage or under a bush. The eggs vary in
size from 0°82 by 0°62 to 0°87 by 0°65 inch.
(6) PycnornampPnus CARNEIPES (Hodgson). White-winged
Grosbeak. (PI. X. figs. 9-11.)
A clutch of four eggs of this bird was taken in the same
locality as the eggs of Lusciniola indica on the 20th of May,
1899. The nest (see text-fig. 13, p.407) was placed on the
small lower branch of a juniper-tree, close to the stem and
about five feet above the ground. The measurements of the
nest are as follows :—
mm. in.
Iixtreme outer diameter...... 150 (5:90)
Diameter Gl CUP ies «ssi 5s '0 85 (3°34)
(Depthxok Guppy: cies. tates cists o iele 50 (1:97)
Fleip hit OE Mest. clei. «1 cc's 6 75 (2°95)
unfigured Eggs of Palearctic Birds. 407
The outside wall of the nest is of dry and fragile juniper-
twigs, some of which are covered with green moss, and the
inner part is of finer twigs, strongly and closely inter-
woven. The female alone builds the nest, but the male
Text-fig. 15,
Nest of Pycnorhamphus carnewpes.
bird remains in the immediate vicimity while she is thus
employed.
As will be seen from the figures, the eggs of this bird
resemble in character those of Coccothraustes vulgaris.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE X.
Figs, 1- 4. Eges of Passer yatit, p. 405.
~~ oH 8: 5 ammodendrt, p. 406,
» 9-11. » Pycnorhamphus carneipes, p. 406,
Fe Pp alsy » Anthus similis, p. 406.
9° 24516: 5 Lusciniola indica, p. 404.
» 15. Egg of Savicola chrysopygia, p. 404.
408 Mr. J. I. 8S. Whitaker on the proper
XXXIV.—On the proper Names of the Two Forms of Black-
eared Chats. By Josurn I. 8S. Wuiraxer, F.Z.S.
In the January number of ‘The Ibis’ (1908, pp. 90 and 91)
I notice that Mr. Dresser, writing on the synonymy of
some Palearctic Birds, disputes the validity of the name
Saxicola caterine (not catarine, as spelled by him), which
was given by me to the western form of the Black-eared
Chat (‘ Ibis,’ 1898, p. 625).
Mr. Dresser commences, very rightly, by recognising
the distinctness of the eastern and western forms of the
Black-eared Chat, but proceeds to state that, both forms
having already received names, ‘ Saxicola caterine” can
ouly be regarded as a synonym, and finally concludes, some-
what arbitrarily, and without giving any reasons for his
deduction, by saying that ‘the eastern form will therefore
stand as Savxicola amphileuca Hempr. & Ehrenb., and the
western as Sazicola albicollis (Vieill.).”
In order to arrive at a satisfactory solution of this question
of names (for apparently the distinctness of the two respective
forms or species is now recognised by most ornithologists),
it is necessary to examine and carefully consider previous
descriptions of the Black-eared Chat, with a view to ascer-
taining, so far as may be possible, to which form they refer.
Taking first Vieillot’s Ginanthe albicollis (Nouv. Dict.
xxl. p. 424, 1818), the description given to this bird,
although in many respects applying equally to both forms,
when taken as a whole applies far better to the eastern form
than to the western. To begin with, the plumage of
the upper parts in the western form could never correctly
be described as of a “beau blanc,” even “ légtrement teint
de roux,” &¢e., the upper plumage of this form being dis-
tinctly cream-coloured. On the other hand, in the eastern
form these parts are of a fine white. Secondly, the words
“une bande noire traverse et enveloppe l’ceil” are certainly
more applicable to the eastern form, in which the eye is
completely and very markedly encircled by the black band ;
whereas in the western form it is not generally so, being
Names of Two Forms of Black-eared Chats. 409
either without any black at all above the eye or with merely
a very narrow line. Lastly, the words ‘les couvertures
du dessus et du dessous des ailes sont de cette couleur
(noire) ainsi que les pennes’’ would indicate that Vieillot
meant that the quills as well as the wing-coverts were black,
both above and below.
I do not know where Vieillot’s type-specimen may be, if,
indeed, there be one in existence; but I may say that the
form of Black-eared Chat most often met with in Europe
appears to be the eastern and not the western, the range
of the latter being more or less confined to a comparatively
small portion of the Continent.
I would here observe that the term eastern, as applied to
the Black-eared Chat with a dark under-wing, is somewhat
misleading, the range of this form extending right across
the European Continent as far west as France and Portugal.
Mr. Dresser is evidently unaware of this fact, as, in a letter,
he informs me that he has never heard of its occurrence
further west than Montenegro and Albania.
With regard to Temminck’s Sawicola aurita (Man. d’Orn.
1, 1820, p. 241), his description, although, on the whole,
more applicable to the eastern form of Black-eared Chat
than to the western, is so vague that it might apply
equally to either. Owing, however, to the kindness
of Dr. Otto Finsch, of the Rijks Museum at Leiden,
where Temminck’s collection is preserved, I have been able
to ascertain that Temminck’s specimens of Black-eared
Chats are from South France, Italy, Portugal, Egypt,
Bogosland, and Arabia, and that they all agree in having
the under surface of the wing black. Dr. Finsch was
unable to inform me which particular specimen had served
Temminck as his type; but presumably his description was
taken from one of these examples, and, seeing that all
the specimens have the under surface of the wing black, we
are justified in concluding that Temminck’s description of
S. aurita applies to the eastern and not to the western
Black-eared Chat, which has the under surface of the wing
of a light colour.
410 Recently published Ornithological Works. ;
This is, indeed, all the more probable when we consider
that the eastern Black-eared Chat is the form found
throughout the greater part of Southern Europe, as well as
in Asia Minor and North-east Africa; while the western
form, so far as I have been able to ascertain, with the
exception perhaps of an occasional straggler, occurs only
in North-west Africa, South Spain, Sicily, and one or two
other West-Mediterranean coast-districts.
- Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s descriptions of 8. aurita var.
libyca and S. amphileuca (Symb. Phys. 1829, and Symb.
Aves, 1833) are also rather vague, but there can be no doubt
that both refer to the eastern Black-eared Chat and must
therefore be regarded as synonyms of S, albicollis (Vieill.)
or S. aurita Temm.
Dr. Finsch, in his Catalogue of Birds in the Leyden
Museum (p. 151), is unable to separate S. aurita and
S. amphileuca, specimens in his collection from South France
and Bogosland being identical. ‘This form of the species,
in fact, as already mentioned, has a wide range from east to
west, and the term eastern as applied to it, being misleading,
might perhaps with advantage be changed for some other
more appropriate designation.
In conclusion, I maintain that both Vieillot’s and Tem-
minck’s descriptions refer to the Hastern Black-eared Chat,
and that Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s names are synonyms ;
so that the name Sawicola caterine, failing proof to the con-
trary, should stand for the western Black-eared Chat.
XXX V.—Notices of recent Ornithological Publications.
[Continued from p. 265. |
67. ‘Annals of Scottish Natural History.”
(The Annals of Scottish Natural History. No. 45, January 1903,
and No. 46, April 1903. |
Mr. Harvie-Brown begins the January number with a
sympathetic “In Memoriam” of his—and our—esteemed
friend, the late T. E. Buckley ; and this is followed by his
Recently published Ornithological Works. 411
final instalment of the supplementary notes on the Birds of
the Outer Hebrides. Mr. W. Eagle Clarke gives details of the
example of Phylloscopus viridis obtained on September 5th,
1902, at the Sule Skerry lighthouse (cf. Bull. B. O. C. xiii.
p. 12), the second occurrence of this bird in Great Britain ;
he also remarks upon some species which are not often
observed on actual migration in Scotland, such as the Lesser
Whitethroat and the Black-tailed Godwit. He further
records a Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) from Strom-
ness, Orkneys, while Mr. W. Evans gives some interesting
particulars, up to date, respecting the occurrence of this
species in the Forth area. In the April number Messrs.
Hinxman and Hagle Clarke contribute some new matter on
the fauna of East Ross-shire; Mr. Donald Guthrie’s notes
from South Uist form another useful supplement to the
‘Birds of the Outer Hebrides’; and Mr. T. G. Laidlaw
begins his Report on the Movement and Migration of Birds
in Scotland during 1902. Some interesting records are to
be found among the minor notices.—H. 8S.
68. ‘The Auk?
[The Auk, A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. Vol. xx. Nos. 1& 2,
January and April 1903.]
The January number opens with a concise article by
Prof. J. A. Allen on “ The A. O. U. Check-list—its History
and its Future,” and those who play with nomenclature may
read pp. 6-9 with profit. Mr. B. 8. Bowdish’s paper on the
birds of Porto Rico—commenced in October—is now con-
cluded, and its value is augmented by a bibliography. An
interesting account of the migrations of Richardson’s Grouse
is given by Mr. A. W. Anthony, who passed several months
in the vicinity of the mining-camp of Sparta, Hastern Oregon;
and the description of the wild—and harmless—shooting
that took place at a flock of a dozen birds which alighted in
front of the hotel is amusing, though hardly flattering to the
“Spartans.” Messrs. Grinnell and Daggett have a valuable
paper on the birds observed on the Coronados Islands, a
small group situated about twenty miles south of San Diego,
4.12 Recently published Ornithological Works.
California, but within Mexican waters: not to be confounded
with an island of the same name in lat. 26° N. Melospiza
coronatorum is described as a ‘‘ new-species”; though why
a hyphen should be placed between new and species it is
hard to say. It may be a printer’s error, but we are not
certain, for some peculiar notions exist as to the use of
hyphens. This is shown ina paper by Dr. Edwin W. Doran
on the “ Vernacular Names of Birds,” in which the author
argues that the A. O. U. Check-list is incorrect in the
omission of hyphens in compound words, such as ‘‘ Turkey
Vulture,” “ Prairie Hen,” &c. We are, in the main, of
> and
“Prairie” are substantives in apposition, and require the
connecting hyphen; moreover, we naturally try to write the
language which Prof. Allen, in a reply (p. 73), terms “ British
English” as contrasted with ‘American English.” How-
ever, in case of usage, invoked by Prof. Allen, any argument
would be futile, and each must go his own way. In Dr. W.
C. Braislin’s notes on some birds of Long Island is a record
of an immature Larus minutus, obtained May 10th, 1902,
along with some Bonaparte’s Gulls: a second instance for
North America. An important feature of this number is
Mr. William Dutcher’s Report of the A. O. U. Comm. on the
Protection of North-American Birds, in which is shown
how much can be done by steady and systematic action as
distinguished from the vicarious interference which is too
often an excuse for self-advertisement.
In the April number our fellow-member, Mr. J. L. Bonhote,
communicates the results of observations obtained at some
of the Bahaman hghthouses. Mr. H. W. Henshaw states
that four examples of the Emperor-Goose (Philacte canagica)
were obtamed on December 12th in Hawaii, which is by
far the furthest southern locality on record, and gives details
of some other interesting visitors to the Sandwich Islands.
The steamer which ples between Puget Sound and Honolulu
was boarded early in October, when 680 miles from land, by
a Short-eared Owl (Asio accipitrinus), and this, coupled
with another similar instance, indicates that there is an
Dr. Doran’s opinion, for in these cases “ Turkey ’
Recently published Ornithological Works. 413
autumnal migration from North America; it may also,
perhaps, weaken the claims of 4. sandvicensis to specific
rank.—H. 8.
69. Bangs on the birds of the Liu Kiu Islands.
[Stejneger’s Catalogue of Birds thus far recorded from the Liu Kiu
Islands, Japan, revised, with Additions to date. By Outram Bangs.
Proc. New England Zool. Club, iii. p. 93 (1903). ]
In the ‘Proceedings’ of the U.S. National Museum,
vol x. (1887), Dr. Stejneger gave a list of all the species of
birds recorded from the Japanese islands of the Liu Kiu
group. In 1890 a fine collection of birds from the same
islands was received by the Museum of Comparative Zoology
from Mr. Owston, an examination of which raised the total
number of species belonging to the Liu-Kius from 77 to 99.
Mr. Bangs has now amalgamated the two lists and gives us
a complete cataiogue of all the known species of the group.
The avifauna of the Liu-Kius is essentially Japanese, with
a few endemic species, such as the curious Woodpecker
Sapheopipo noguchit.
70. Bangs on new Races of American Birds.
[Proceedings of the New England Zoological Club. Vols. iii. and iv.
1902-35. |
Mr. Outram Bangs sends us copies of eight papers on
“new races”? of American birds, but we think it is hardly
necessary to give their names, as they are all very close
allies of well-known species. Nor do we quite understand
why it was necessary to put every species into a separate
paper with a separate title to it.
71. Brewster on the Birds of Lower California.
[ Birds of the Cape Region of Lower California. By William Brewster.
sull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Harvard Coll. xli, pp. 1-241 (1902). ]
The peninsula of Lower California is an interesting district,
and has engaged the attention of many American collectors
—Trazar, Xantus, Belding, Bryant, and Anthony have all
&
4. 4 Recently published Ornithological Works.
had their turn, and have amassed fine series of its birds
for the museums of the Eastern States. Mr. Brewster
has now taken up the subject and compiled an excellent
memoir, containing a careful account of the birds of the
terminal portion of the long peninsula, to which well-
selected field-notes from the various collectors are added.
The avifauna thus treated is decidedly Nearctic, but, as
Baird pointed out years ago, appears to be more nearly
related to that of Arizona than that of California. The
number of species ascribed to the “Cape Region” is 167,
besides 88 subspecies. To these Mr. Brewster has now added
one of the first category and three of the second—namely,
Totanus melanoleucus frazari, Megascops wantusi, Bubo vir-
ginianus elachistus, and Tachycineta thalassina brachyptera.
The 30 birds supposed to be peculiar to Lower California
are mostly very close allies of their continental repre-
sentatives. There are 3 Humming-birds included in the
list, amongst which Basilinna leucotis is a_ well-marked
species, restricted to the peninsula.
72. Bulletins of the Philippine Museum.
[Bulletins of the Philippine Museum.—I. On Birds from Luzon,
Mindoro, Masbate, Ficao, Cuyo, Culion, Cagayan Sulu, and Palawan.
By Richard C. McGregor. Pp. 1-12.—II. List of Bird-skins offered in
exchange. Pp. 1-8. 8vo. Manila, 1903. ]
A Museum of Ethnology, Natural History, and Commerce
thas been established by the American authorities at Manila,
and the first two of the ‘ Bulletins’ of the new Institution
are now before us. The first, prepared by Mr. R. C.
McGregor, contains a paper on some recent additions to the
Philippine avifauna, in the course of which Chibia cuyensis
is described as a new species from Cuyo Island. The second
part is devoted to a lst of bird-skins offered in exchange,
which, we are assured, are all in “ first class” condition.
We beg leave to congratulate our American friends on the
energy and enlightenment shown by their government in
attending to the claims of science at so early a date in their
new rule of this most interesting country.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 415
73. Chapman on Birds from Alaska.
[List of Birds collected in Alaska by the Andrew J. Stone Expedition
of 1901. By Frank M. Chapman. Bull. Amer, Mus. N. H. xvi. pp. 251-
247 (1902). ]
The naturalists of the “Stone” Expedition to Alaska of
1901 attended principally to mammals, but obtained 302
specimens of birds, which are referred to 68 species by
Mr. Chapman. Most of them are well-known inhabitants
of Arctic America, but two are now described as belonging
to new subspecies -— Lagopus leucurus peninsularis and
Cyanocitta stelleri borealis. Some field-notes by Mr. Figgins
(Mr. Stone’s taxidermist) are added to the list.
74. Finn on Two Birds from Mauritius.
[On Specimens of Two Mauritian Birds in the Collection of the Asiatic
Society. By F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.8., Deputy Superintendent of the Indian
Museum. J.A.S8. B. Ixxi. pt. i. pp. 87-91, pls. iv., v. (1902). ]
The author writes on certain specimens of a Moorhen and
a Tropic-bird in the Calcutta Museum “ from Mauritius,”
presented many years ago by Mr. Willis Earle, and cata-
logued by Blyth as Gallinula chloropus and Phaethon candidus.
The Moorhen is referred to G. pyrrhorhoa Newton, but its
large bill and other divergences are noticed, while one of the
Tropic-birds (referred to Phaethon lepturus) appears to be
more like P. americanus of the B. M. Catalogue; but it may
be questioned whether these two supposed species are really
separable, or whether there is an error in the locality.
75. Finsch on Diceeum sollicitans.
[Ueber Dicceum sollicitans Hartert. Von Dr. O. Finsch. Notes Leyden
Mus. xxiii. pp. 155-155. |
The Leyden Museum has received from its correspondent
Herr Max Bartels, in Java, an example of Dicewm sollici-
tans of Hartert (Nov. Zool. vii. p. 52), which was based
on a single specimen with the sex undetermined. The new
example, of which a description is given, is certainly a
female, but Herr Bartels has also secured a male in similar
plumage. This proves that the species belongs to the plain-
416 Recently published Ornithological Works.
coloured group of Diceum, in which the sexes are dressed
alike.
76. Finsch on Two new Javan Birds.
[Ueber zwei neue Vogelarten von Java. Von Dr, O. Finsch. Notes
Leyden Mus. xxiii. pp. 147-152. |
The two new birds from Java are Caprimulgus bartelsi and
Crithagra esthere. The Caprimulgus is named after Herr
Bartels, a planter resident at Pangerango, near Pasir Datar,
in Western Java, who is very active in ornithological work
and was the discoverer of both the novelties. Herr Bartels
is the author of the most recent list of Javan birds (see “ Zur
Ornis Javas,” in Natuurk. Tijdschr. v. Ned. Ind. 1x1. p. 129),
in which 239 species are enumerated.
77. Finsch on Two Species of Centropus.
[Ueber zwei bisher verkannte Arten: Centropus nigrorufus (Cuv.)
und C. grilli Hartl. Von Dr. O. Finsch. Notes Leyden Mus, xxiii.
pp: 156-161. ]
It is well known that Levaillant described and figured,
in his ‘ Oiseaux d’Afrique, many birds which were entirely
strange to South Africa, and in some instances even gave
alleged particulars concerning their exact localities and
nesting-habits. Such was the case with a species of Cen-
tropus—his ‘‘ Coucal Noirou” (pl. 220), which Dr. Finsch
now shews was really based on a Javan and Sumatran
species called C. purpureus in the British Museum Catalogue
(xix. p. 348). his bird, therefore, ought to bear the name
C. nigrorufus Cuv., whereas the African species of Coucal,
often known under the latter name (if distinct from C. ben-
galensis, which is doubtful), should be termed C. grill
Hartl.
78. Fisher on a new Tern.
[A new Procelsterna from the Leeward Islands, Hawaiian Group. By
Walter K. Fisher. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxvi. pp. 559-563 (1903). |
The author describes what appears to be a decidedly new
species of the genus Procelsterna, or (as we should prefer to
Recently published Ornithological Works. 417
call it) Procellisterna, obtained by the naturalists of the
U.S. Fish-Commission steamer ‘ Albatross’ at Neckar Island,
Hawaian group, and also seen on Bird Island. It is named
P. saxatilis. The eggs were taken and are described. The
species is nearest to P. cinerea of the Australian seas.
79. Fountain on the Mountains ana Forests of South
America.
[The Great Mountains and Forests of South America. By Paul
Fountain. London: Longmans & Co., 1902. 1 vol. 8vo. 306 pp.
Price 10s, 6d. net. |
This is certainly a remarkable work and one to which
attention should be called. Though the author has evidently
had no scientific education, and often falls into error in
consequence, he has accumulated a large experience of
animal life during his travels, and tells his story in good,
plain, easy English. Birds are constantly referred to—
indeed the author’s chief occupation appears to have been
that of a Collector, but he does not inform us distinctly
what has become of his bird-skins. here are many good
field-notes about the species he met with, but in many cases
we are not informed what they were, as they seem to be
mostly described from memory, not from specimens. For
example, the “ Urraca-Jay,” pictured in a lively way on
p- 19, one would suppose to be a Cyanocorax, but the eggs
described as belonging to it are certainly those of one
of the Cuckoos of the Crotophagine group. However, the
volume is worthy of examination, though some people might
be inclined to doubt the author’s good faith.
80. Godman’s ‘ Biologia Centrali- Americana,
(Biologia Centrali-Americana ; or, Contributions to the Knowledge
of the Fauna and Flora of Mexico and Central America. Edited by
F. DuCane Godman. (Zoology.) PartsCLXXI-CLXXVII. 1902-03.
(R. H. Porter.)]
Mr. Godman has now finished the Galline and Gerano-
morphe and has progressed well with the Limicole. We
are pleased to sce that he refuses to reject the well-established
SER. VIII.— VOL, III. 25
418 Recently published Ornithological Works.
terms Ortyx and Parra on the quite insufficient grounds
which have been put forward for doing so. No well-known
name should be altered where there is the slightest doubt of
the absolute necessity of so doing.
Good coloured figures are given of Ortalis wagleri, Odonto-
phorus melanotis, O. leucolemus, and O. cinctus.
It is expected, we are glad to say, that the ‘‘ Birds” of
this important work may be brought to a close before the
end of the year.
81. ‘ Handbook of Instruction for Collectors,
[Handbook of Instruction for Collectors issued by the British Museum
(Natural History). London, 1902. 137 pp. Longmans. Price 2s. 6d. ]
This is a very useful little book, and should be referred
to by every naturalist who goes abroad to collect. Even
if he knows all about his particular subject, there are sure
to be points on which he may require assistance, and here he
will find it. The section relating to bird-skinning is short,
but full of information, and contains, we think, everything
that it is necessary to know. We are specially pleased
with the chapter on how to determine the sex of a bird. It
is clear, precise, and well illustrated. But we should also
have liked to have chapters on collecting birds’-eggs and
birds in spirit, which both require special treatment.
82. Hartert on Brisson’s Generic Terms.
[Hine logische unabweisbare Aenderung in der ornithologischen Nomen-
klatur. Von E. Hartert. VY. Internat. Zool. Congr. pp. 897-899. ]
It has been the fashion with many ornithologists (especially
those with exaggerated views of the claims of priority) to use
Brisson’s so-called “generic names.” Mr. Hartert proves
to us most clearly that this practice is incorrect. Brisson,
with all his undoubted merits, never made any generic names
adapted to the modern system of binomial nomenclature.
The typical Pigeons, for example, he named “ Genus Colum-
binum,” using Columba as a name for some of them, for
others Ginas, Palumbus, and Turtur. It is more logical for
binomialists to discard Brisson’s nomenclature altogether !
Recently published Ornithological Works. 419
83. Hartert on the Birds of the Obi Group, Moluccas.
[The Birds of the Obi Group, Central Moluccas. By Ernst Hartert.
Noy. Zool. x. p. 1 (1903).]
The Obi Islands lie in the middle of the Moluecan Archi-
pelago, between Halmahera and Ceram, and consist of one
larger islet and several that are smaller. They have been
visited by Bernstein, Guillemard, Doherty, Lucas (of Brussels),
and recently by Waterstradt, who managed to ascend the hills
of the interior. Mr. Hartert now gives us the first complete
list of the birds of this group, based mainly on the rich
series at Tring. He enumerates 85 species, and adds in-
structive notes. The following are now described as new :—
Astur griseogularis obiensis, Cryptolopha everetti waterstradti,
Pachycephala johni, and Criniger lucasi. Besides these and
other species restricted to the locality, Obi Major is (or
was until quite lately) the only certainly ascertained home
of the rare Woodcock Neoscolopax rochusseni.
84. Hartert on the Birds of the Tukong-Besi Islands and
Buton.
[On the Birds collected on the Tukong-Besi Islands and Buton, South-
east of Celebes, by Mr. Heinrich Kithn. By E. Hartert. Nov. Zool. x.
p. 18.]
The Tukong-Besi Islands form an extensive but almost
unknown archipelago east of Buton, and had never been
visited by a zoological collector till Mr. Kiihn went there in
December 1901 and January 1902. Buton also is nearly
unknown ornithologically. Altogether Mr. Kiihn’s col-
lection contains examples of 73 species, of which 9 or 10
are migrants from the north and the rest are residents.
Generally the ornis of these islands is predominantly Cele-
besian, but the following forms are described as peculiar :—
Pisorhina manadensis kalidape, Tanygnathus megalorhynchus
viridipennis, Phoenicophaés calorhynchus rufiloris, Diceum
kuehni, Cinnyris infrenata, Zosterops flavissima, Oriolus
broderipi oscillans, Ptilinopus melanocephalus aurescentior, »
and Hypotenidia kuehni. te Amnatliant. Aus
2E 2
420 Recently published Ornithological Works.
89. Hartert on the Birds of Batchian.
[The Birds of Batjan. By Ernst Hartert. Nov. Zool. x. p. 49 (1903). ]
Many well-known ornithologists—Wallace, Bernstein,
Batchian and explored its avifauna, which is closely related
to that of its larger sister Halmahera. The remarkable
form Semioptera exists in both of them, but S. halmahere is
slightly different from 8S. wallacii. The material lately
supphed to Tring by Doherty and Waterstradt, who pene-
trated into the high interior, has led to the compilation of the
present complete list of the known birds of Batchian, which
includes 135 species. Of these Muscicapula hyperythra
pallidipectus, Myzomela batjanensis, and Oat One albertisi
exsul are described as new. 4 LR
HAA At
86. Hartert on a new Oligomyodian Form.
[On a remarkable new Oligomyodian Genus and Species from Ecuador.
By E. Hartert. Nov. Zool. x. p. 117.]
Sapayoa enigma is a new Piprine form, established on the
strength of a single female specimen obtained on the Rio
Sapayo, in N.W. Ecuador. It appears to be allied to Scoto-
thorus (= Heteropelma), and is of a general olive-green colour,
but it is possible that the male may be differently coloured.
87. Henshaw on the Birds of the Hawaiian Islands.
[Birds of the Hawaiian Islands, being a complete List of the Birds of
_ the Hawaiian Possessions, with Notes on their Habits. By H. W. Hen-
shaw. 8vo. Honolulu, H. T., 1902. 146 pp. Price $1.06. ]
~ A handbook of the birds of the Hawaiian Archipelago will
be very useful to the students of that peculiar Ornis, par-
ticularly when it is accompanied by such valuable field-notes
as Mr. Henshaw gives us in the present memoir. His pre-
fatory remarks are also of interest. Mr. Henshaw assigns
125 species to the Hawaiian avifauna, of which about half (60)
are endemic Passeres. Three Rails are likewise peculiar to
the group, the rest of the birds being mostly stragglers from
America or species of wide distribution.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 4.21
It would have made the “ List” more generally useful if
references had been added under each species to the figures
published in the great works of Wilson and Evans and
of Rothschild. ‘The Ibis’ does not appear to have reached
Honolulu, at any rate the name of one of the Editors is
persistently misspelled !
88. Lhering on the Birds of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
[Contribuigdes para o Conbecimento da Ornithologia de Sao Paulo por
H. von Ihering. Revista do Mus. Paulista, v. pp. 261-329, pl. xi. (1902).
This is a supplement to Dr. v. Ihering’s previous articles
on the same subject (cf. Ibis, 1891, p. 134). He now gives
a list, with short remarks added, of 46 additional species
of birds which have been recently ascertained to occur
within the confines of the State of Sio Paulo. Amongst
these are 4 considered to be probably of new ‘
—Icterus cayanensis valencio-buenoi (!), Tyranniscus boli-
vianus paulistus, Picumnus sagittatus sharpei, and P. nebu-
losus caipira. Adding these to the 590 ennmerated in the
previous papers, we find the strength of the Pauline ornis to be
now about 636 species. The author calculates that it will
ultimately run up to 800 species, which is highly probable.
In the second section of his memoir Dr. v. [bering de-
scribes the eggs of 40 species of Pauline birds additional to
those in his former papers, and illustrates six of them on
‘ subspecies ”
a nicely coloured plate. The gem of these is the egg of
Ampelion cucullatus.
In the third section he discusses the occurrence of an
Argentino-Chilian element in the Pauline avifauna, where,
however, it appears to us to be very feebly represented.
The fourth section gives a complete nominal List of the
Pauline Ornis.
89. Innes on the Birds of the White Nile.
[Voyage au Nil Blanc pour des Recherches Zoologiques. Par le Dr. W.
Innes Bey. Bull. Soc. Khédiy. de Géographie, sér. y. no. xii, Cairo,
1902. |
This paper, lately read before the Khedivial Society of
422 Recently published Ornithological Works.
Geography at Cairo, gives an instructive account of the
author’s journey up the White Nile to Fashoda and back,
and many notes on the birds, which appear to have attracted
his principal attention. He went from Cairo in company
with M. Jiigerskidld and other savants from Sweden (sent
out by their government on a scientific mission to Egypt
and the Soudan) with the object of obtaining a series of
birds from the White Nile for the Museum of the Medical
School at Cairo, of which he is Curator. In this object he
seems to have been quite successful, as he obtained examples
of 99 species, of which a systematic list is given at the close
of the memoir. Most of these birds are also mentioned
in the narrative, which occupies the greater part of the
article.
We congratulate the Egyptian authorities in having resi-
dent at Cairo a naturalist who is evidently devoted to his
work, and trust that under his curatorship the Museum
of the Medical School will make rapid progress with its
series of native birds.
90. Kollibay on the Birds of Southern Dalmatia.
[Beitrige zur Kenntniss der Vogelwelt Dalmatiens. Von Rechtsanwalt
Kollibay, Neisse. Ornithol. Jahrb. xiv. pp. 22-45 (1902).]
The author gives an interesting account of his journey to
the island of Curzola, in Southern Dalmatia, in the course
of which he visited Dr. Madarész at Budapest, Herr Reiser
at Sarajewo, and other ornithologists at Mostar and Cattaro.
Notes on the birds of Curzola and the vicinity will be found
in a second section. Some Buntings (Hmberiza melano-
cephala, E. cirlus, and E. hortulana) were found breeding,
and several rare Sylvians are mentioned. Pratincola rubetra
dalmatica is described as a new subspecies !
91. Lillo on the Birds of Tucuman.
(Enumeracion sistematica de las Aves de la Provincia de Tucuman por
Miguel Lillo. An. Mus, Nac. Buenos Aires, viii. pp. 169-221 (1902). ]
This list of the birds of Tucuman contains some prefatory
Recently published Ornithological Works. 423
remarks and the names of 351 species which have been
recorded as occurring in that State of the Argentine Republic.
A few remarks are added to each of them.
We can assure the author that much yet remains to be
done in Argentine Ornithology, and advise him to examine
the Sierras on the western side of Tucuman. He claims to
have added 20 species to the previous lists of the birds of
the State.
92. Lénnberg on a Fossil Condor.
[On some Fossil Remains of a Condor from Bolivia. By Dr, Einar
Lounberg. Bull. Geol. Inst. Univ. Upsala, vi. pt. 1 (1893).]
Among the valuable paleontological specimens brought
home by Baron Erland Nordenskidld from the valley of
Tarija, in Southern Bolivia, were a complete tarso-metatarsus
and the upper and lower ends of the femur of a large bird.
These are now described and figured by Dr. Lonnberg and
referred to a new species of New-World Vulture allied to
the Condor, which it is proposed to call Sarcorhamphus
patruus. The age of the new fossil Condor is about that
of Mastodon andium, plentiful remains of which are found in
the same deposits. ,
93. Lucas on some North-American Fossil birds.
[Notes on the Osteology and Relationship of the Fossil Birds of the
Genera Hesperornis, Hargeria, Baptornis, and Diatryma. By Frederick
A. Lucas. Proc, U.S. Nat. Mus. xxvi. pp. 545-556 (1903). |
The acquisition by the U.S. National Museum of a speci-
men of Hesperornis regalis and the loan of some bones of
Hlesperornis gracilis and Baptornis advena have enabled
Mr. Lucas to add a little to our knowledge of these obscure
fossil forms. After commenting fully on Hesperornis, he
pomts out that H. gracilis is so different from H. regalis,
that it ought to be put im a separate genus, for which the
title Hargeria is proposed. Baptornis is stated to be quite
distinct from Hesperornis, and more like existing birds.
Diatryma is not a Dromeognathine bird, and may possibly
belong to the Stereornithes.
4.24, Recently published Ornithological Works.
94. Nelson on a new Cliff-Swallow.
[A new Subspecies of the Cuban Cliff-Swallow. By E. W. Nelson.
Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xv, p. 211 (1902). ]
A new subspecies of Cliff-Swallow is described as Petro-
chelidon fulva pallida. It is based on specimens obtained
by the Biological Survey in Coahuila, Mexico, and its dis-
tribution is given as the “arid border of the tableland in
N.E. Mexico.”
95. North on the Lag of the Kagu.
[Description of the Eggs of the Kagu, Rhinochetus jubatus Verreaux
et Des Murs. By Alfred J. North, C.M.Z.S. Records Austral. Mus.
iy. pp. 310, 311, pl. 1.]
Mr. North describes and figures eggs of the Kagu of New
Caledonia (Rhinochetus jubatus) laid in confinement at
Sydney. He points out their resemblance to those of some
of the Laridz, but they are likewise to be compared with
those of some of the Cranes (Gruide), to which family the
Kagu is usually supposed to be allied.
The egg of this bird has already been described and figured
by Bartlett from an example laid in the Zoological Society’s
Gardens (see P. Z. S. 1868, p. 154, pl. xu. fig. 3).
96. Oberholser on Birds from Paraguay.
[List of Birds collected by William T, Foster in Paraguay. By Harry
C. Oberholser, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxv. pp. 127-147 (1902). |
A collection of birds made by Mr. W. T. Foster at Sapucay,
in Paraguay, which is ashort distance to the east of Asuncion,
contains 78 specimens, which are referred to 65 species and
subspecies. Mr. Oberholser has already published descrip-
tions of the new forms (Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xix.
p. 187).. He now gives a complete list of the species with
critical notes, and proposes to alter the nomenclature
according to the American system. The most noticeable
novelty appears to be a new Arremon (A. callistus), allied to
A. polionotus. But it is based on a single specimen only,
and appears to be a little doubtful.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 4.25
97. Oberholser on new South-American Birds.
[Some new South-American Birds. By Harry C. Oberholser. Proc.
U.S. Nat. Mus. xxv. pp. 59-68 (1902). ]
Mr. Oberholser describes as new (or as requiring new
names) Thamnophilus tephroguster from Bahia, Synalluais
spixi notatus from Argentina, Nenicopsis percnopterus from
Brazil, Ochtheca rufimarginata acrophiia from Rio Napo,
Mecocerculus alutus from Ecuador, M. stictopterus euplastus
from Peru, Rhynchocyclus scotius from “ Brazil,” Hemitriccus
pammictus from S. America (!), Pogonotriccus alleni from
Colombia, Sirystes sibilator atimastus from Matto Grosso,
Icterus pyrrhopterus compsus trom Matto Grosso, and J. p.
argoptilus from Argentina. A new genus (Perissotriccus) is
likewise founded for Todirostrum ecaudutum, and the species
of Thryothorus of the group allied to T. feucolis are re-
arranged. We beg leave, however, to express some doubt
whether it is of advantage to Science to describe such species
as are here indicated without a comparison of the examples
in the British Museum, especially where the localities are
uncertain. We are nearly sure that most of Mr. Oberholser’s
species could be matched by specimens in the well-filled
boxes at South Kensington.
98. Prichard’s ‘ Heart of Patagonia’
(Through the Heart of Patagonia. By H. Hesketh Prichard. With
Tllustrations by J. G. Millais. London: Heineman, 1902. 1 vol.
346 pp. Price 21s. net. ]
Mr. Prichard went through “the heart of Patagonia” in
search of the extinct Neomylodon, of which, it was suggested,
some individuals might still be found lingering in the
recesses of the Andes. This did not prove to be the case,
but the author’s adventures and experiences have resulted in
the production of a most interesting narrative of his journey,
which we can heartily recommend to our readers. Mammals
were naturally the first objects of attraction, but birds, as
will be obvious on turning over the pages of Mr. Prichard’s
book, were by no means neglected. Patagonia, we are told,
4.26 Recently published Ornithological Works.
is a wonderful country for Birds-of-prey. You may travel
for leagues, and see no signs of life but Chimangos, Car-
ranchos, and Condors. Mr. Miilais’s life-like illustrations
provide an additional charm to the work.
99. Richmond on Birds from the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
[Birds collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott and Mr. C. B. Kloss in the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. By Charles W. Richmond. Proc. U.S.
Nat. Mus. xxv. pp. 287-314 (1902). }
The collection of birds made by Dr. Abbott and Mr. Kloss
in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the early part of
1891 contained about 520 specimens, which are referred by
Mr. Richmond to nearly 100 species. Of these nine ‘ appear
to be new’’—namely, Zosterops ventralis, Sturnia erythro-
pygia katchalensis, Rhinomyias nicobarica, Arachnechthra
klossi, Pitta abbotti, Spilornis klossi, Astur obsoletus, Osmo-
treron chloroptera andamanica, and Ewealfactoria trinkatensis.
We venture to express a doubt whether it is justifiable to
describe these supposed ‘new species” without consulting
Mr. Hume’s collections now in the British Museum. We
are sure also that such a well-known journal as that of the
Bombay Natural History Society ought not to be pronounced
“inaccessible”? at Washington, and that Mr. Butler’s recent
paper on the Andamans should have been consulted before
the publication of the present article. We are pleased,
however, that Mr. Richmond is content to follow the arrange-
-ment of the ‘ Fauna of British India,’ and does not turn the
sequence of the species upside down! Dr. Abbott may be
congratulated on having got examples of the Pitta of the
Nicobars (P. abbotti), which Mr. Hume saw but did not
obtain.
Mr. Kloss has lately published an interesting account of
his experiences during this voyage (‘In the Andamans and
Nicobars,’ London, Murray, 1903), which we can cordially
recommend to our readers. ‘There are numerous allusions to
birds in it.
/
Recently published Ornithological Works. 427
100. Richmond on Birds from Sumatra,
[Birds collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott on the Coast and Islands of
North-west Sumatra. By Charles W. Richmond. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus.
XXvi. pp. 485-524 (1903). |
Mr. Richmond gives us an account of the birds which the
indefatigable collector Dr. Abbott obtained in the winter of
1891-92 on the coast and islands of North-west Sumatra
- during a five months’ cruise. The series consists of about
450 specimens, representing nearly 140 species. They are
mostly well-kuown Sumatran forms, but 19 are “ believed
to be new,” and described accordingly. These are named
Macropygia simalgrensis, Spilornis abbotti, Pisorhina umobra,
Paleornis major, Psittinus abboiti, Pelargopsis simalgrensis,
P. sodalis, Thriponax parvus, Macropteryx permagna, Cyano-
derma fulviventré, Stachyris banjakensis, Malacopterum no-
tatum, Hypothymis abbotti, H. consobrina, Tchitrea procera,
Graucalus babjensis, G. simaldrensis, Campephaga compta,
and Oriolus mundus.
Some of these “ species’ appear to rest on rather slender
evidence. For instance, Macropteryx pfélonya, founded on
a single female, is said to be like M. longipennis, “but size
larger’ ! .
New names are given to C. grisea Bp. ex Gray, and to
Corvus tenuirostris Moore (nec Gray,nec Bonnaterre), which
are proposed to be called respectively Columba phasma and
Corvus compilator. It is suggested that [ethyophaga Lesson
(1842) has priority over other generic terms for Falco ichthy-
aetus Horst.
101. Richmond on Pinaroloxias inornata.
‘Note on Pinaroloxias inornata (Gould). By Charles W. Richmond.
Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xy. pp. 247, 248 (1902).]
Gould described ‘ Cactornis inornata” i 18438, from a
specimen obtained during the voyage of H.M.S. ‘Sulphur,’
and stated to have been brought from Bow Island, Paumotu
group. It seems, however, not to occur there, and Mr.
Richmond identifies it with Cocornis agassizi Townshend
(Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. xxvii. p. 183, 1895) from Cocos
“4
428 Recently published Ornithological Works.
Island, which was also visited by the ‘Sulphur.’ The bird
should therefore stand as Pinaroloxvias inornata, this new
generic name for it having been made by Dr. Sharpe, who
removed it to the family Diceide.
102. Rothschild and Hartert on Papuan Birds.
[Notes on Papuan Birds. By the Hon. W. Rothschild and E. Hartert.
Nov. Zool. x. p. 65.]
The authors continue their notes on Papuan birds, of
which the Tring Museum contains an almost unrivalled series.
Of the Paradiseide, which are first treated, 87 out of 96
recognised forms are represented at Tring by 1292 skins.
The specimens are now catalogued systematically and notes
are added. Of Lobo-paradisea sericea the three only known
examples are at Tring, but the exact locality is still un-
certain. Loborhamphus nobiiis (Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 34) is
figured. Manucodia atra altera is a new subspecies. The
Corvidee and Laniidee of Papua are next reviewed. In the
latter family Pitohui (scr. Rhectes) dohertyi is a new species
from Ron Island, in the Bay of Geelvink, P. meyeri a new
species from Northern New Guinea, and Pinarolestes mega-
rhyncha madaraszi and P. m. despectus are two new sub-
species. A new Pachycephala is described from British New
Guinea as P. moroka, Six Papuan Dicruride are recognised,
of which Dicrurus meeki from Guadalcanar, Solomon Islands,
is new. Lists of the Omriolide, Artamidze, and Sturnidze
follow and conclude the present instalment of the Papuan
Birds.
103. Salvadori on the Birds of Franz-Joseph Land.
[Osservazioni Scientifiche eseguite durante la Spedizione polare di
S.A.R. Luigi Amedeo di Savoia, Duca degli Abruzzi, 1899-1900. Ucelli.
Osservazioni del Prof. Tommaso Salvadori. Milano, 1905. 11 pp. 4to. |
We have here an account of the collection of birds made
by H.R.H. the Duke of the Abruzzi during his celebrated
North-Polar expedition of 1899-1900. As might have been
expected from the locality visited, the series was not
large, embracing only 38 specimens, which are referred by
Recently published Ornithological Works. 429
Count Salvadori to 10 species, besides a certain number of
eggs. But the birds are by no means without interest, as 8
of them are from Prince Rudolph Island, the most northern
of the Franz-Joseph group, where the expedition passed the
winter. The only Passerine bird in the list is Plectrophenax
nivalis, of which examples were obtained in May and June
1900.
The introduction contains an excellent summary of previous
authorities on the birds of Franz-Joseph Land. The egg
of Pagophila eburnea is figured.
For a complete account of the Duke of Abruzzi’s adven-
turous journey, we may refer our readers to “ On the ‘ Polar
Star’ ” (two vols., Hutchinson & Co., 1903), a most inter-
esting and beautifully illustrated work, with many references
to birds.
104. Salvadori on the Birds of Principe and San Thomé
Islands.
[Contribuzioni alla Ornitologia della Isole del Golfo in Guinea.—
I. Uccelli dell’ Isola del Principe. II. Uccelli dell’ Isola di San Thomé.
Per Tommaso Salvadori. Mem. R. Accad. Sci. Torino, (2) liii. pp. 1-16,
17-45 (1903).]
The distinguished Italian explorer Sig. Leonardo Fea has
lately visited the four principal islands of the Gulf of Guinea,
and Count Salvadori has undertaken the task of working
out the birds which he has collected. After a concise
account of previous authorities on the birds of the island of
Principe and a complete bibliography, the Count states that
the 41 specimens obtained by Sig. Fea are referable to 16
species, of which one, Turdus wanthorhynchus (already cha-
racterized in Boll. Mus. Torino, no. 114, p. 2), is new to
science, and another, Pheniconaias minor, is new to the island-
fauna. A complete list, with synonymy and remarks, is
then given of the 43 species as yet ascertained to occur in
the island.
It is a remarkable fact that neither diurnal nor nocturnal
birds-of-prey have yet been found in the island. The general
facies of the avifauna is decidedly West-African, but there
430 Recently published Ornithological Works.
are two Passerine genera peculiar to it—Cuphopterus and
Parinia.
In a second memoir the ornis of the larger island of
San Thomé is treated in a similar mamner. An excellent
summary of the previous authorities on the subject is given,
together with a complete bibliography. Sig. Fea had a bad
time in this island and secured only 103 specimens of birds,
which are referable to 21 species. ‘lwo of these (Zosterops
fee and Corythornis thomensis) are new to science. The list
of the known birds of St. Thomas, which foilows, contains
63 species, together with synonyms and remarks. ‘Twenty-
two of them are restricted to the island. Anappendix gives
the names of 17 doubtful species.
105. Shufeldt on the Classification of certain Groups of
Birds.
{On the Classification of certain Groups of Birds. (Supersuborders :
Archornithiformes, Dromzognathz, Odontoholce.) By R. W. Shufeldt.
American Naturalist, xxxvil. pp. 33-64 (1903). ]
This is one of a series of essays prepared by the author
for a general work on the classification of the Class Aves,
but subsequently broken up and issued separately on account
of difficulties connected with its publication. The present
memoir contains Dr. Shuteldt’s views on Archeopteryzx, the
Ostriches and allied birds, and the Odontornithes. Hight
other memoirs are stated to be ready for appearance in due
course.
106. Swenander on the Gullet and Stomach of Birds.
[Studien tber den Bau des Schlundes und des Magens der Vogel. In-
augural Dissertation von Gust. Swenander. Upsala, 1902. |
This elaborate paper contains a valuable addition to our
knowledge of the structure of the gullet and stomach of
Birds, and the author has tried to refer the varieties of the
finer anatomical structure to the nature of the food as their
ultimate cause. About 180 birds, representing most of the
principal groups, have been examined micro-copically, while
of 47, mostly common Huropean birds, more microscopical
Letters, Exiracts, &c. 431
detail has been given. Especial attention has been paid to
the solvent glands. The general part, and most of the
numerous illustrations, will chiefly interest the histologist,
but the systematist will hardly derive much help or hints
from this part of avine anatomy.
XXXVI.—Letters, Proceedings of the British Ornithologists’
Union, Extracts, Obituary, &c.
We have received the following letters addressed to “ The
Editors of ‘The Ibis’ ” :—
Srrs,—On the 16th January last, through the kindness of
Mr. Arthur W. Elford, British Vice-Consul at Catania,
Sicily, | came into possession of a fine specimen of Porphyrio
allent Thompson, which had been obtained on the 4th of
December, 1902, at the Pantano di Catania, an extensive tract
of marshy land near the town of that name. The bird in
question was shot by a local sportsman, Signor Vincenzo
Auteri, who, fortunately recognising its rarity, took it to a
taxidermist and had the skin prepared by him. The specimen
was not sexed, but, judging from its wing-length (6°10 inches),
I presume it to bea male. The average wing-length in a series
of specimens of this species in my collection is 6 inches in
the case of males, and 5°60 inches in that of females.
This makes the sixth recorded instance of the occurrence
of this tropical species in Europe, four of the previous
captures having been effected in Italy and one in Spain,
Of the four examples obtained in Italy, no less than three
come from the neighbourhood of Lucca in Tuscany, while
the fourth is from the vicinity of Pachino in Sicily (Giglioli,
‘ Avifauna Italica,’ p. 353).
According to Signor Auteri, another of these birds was
seen by him about the middle of January this year not far
from the Lake of Lentini, also near Catania, but was not
secured,
I may also here mention having lately heard from the
naturalist Blanc of Tunis that a specimen of Porphyrio
allent was obtained in December last near Bizerta in North
Tunisia, and was prepared by him for a customer.
432 Letters, Extracts, &c.
As Prof. Giglioli observes (Avifauna Italica, p. 354), it is
a singular fact, and one worthy of notice, as being contrary
to the generally accepted ideas regarding the laws governing
the migration of birds, that the cases recorded of the occur-
rence in Europe of this tropical Ethiopian species should all
have occurred during the autumn or winter months.
The species has no doubt rightly been separated generi-
cally from Porphyrio under the name of Porphyrula Blyth,
or Porphyriola, as perhaps it should be spelled.
While on the subject of rare aves, for this part of the
world at least, I may mention having this winter obtained a
fine adult specimen of the Gannet (Sula bassana). This was
taken alive in a fishing-net off the coast near Palermo and
brought to me by some fishermen. ‘The bird lived in my
garden for more than two months, but died about the end of
March, on the approach of warm weather.
This northern species, although apparently common in
winter about the Straits of Gibraltar, is more or less rare
so far east in the Mediterranean as Sicily, particularly in
its adult dress; and the present capture is, I believe, but the
third recorded for Italy in that state of plumage. The
Florence Museum possesses one ; another, obtained off the
small island of Levanzo in the month of May, is in the
Trapani Lyceum collection, and that now recorded appears
to be the third. Young Gannets in their dark dress are
more often met with in this part of the Mediterranean,
and I myself last year obtained one of them here, and
another near Tunis. ‘lhe species, although no doubt more
or less uncommon on the Italian coasts, is probably less
rare than is generally supposed. Colonel Irby, who was in
Palermo during the past winter, informed me that he and
his son, when out walking one day, saw an adult Gannet
flymg not far from the shore below Monte Pellegrino.
From Tunis also I have heard of an adult Gannet having
been obtained during the past winter on the Lake of
Bizerta.
Yours &c.,
Palermo, JosePH I. S. WHITAKER.
May 30th, 1903.
Letters, Extracts, &c. 4.33
Sirs,—It will be interesting for your readers to know
that, being in Lyons last autumn, I bought a fine specimen
of the Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo ferox) in the flesh.
It had been obtained on October 8rd, 1902, on the Rhone
near Teysin, a locality about three miles from Lyons.
It was skinned in my presence at Mr. Casartelli’s establish-
ment, and proved on dissection to be a young female ; it is
now in my collection at Caoddo (Padova). When I informed
my friend Dr. L. Bureau of this occurrence, the distinguished
Director of the Museum of Nantes wrote to me that the
specimen in question is of great importance, being the second
taken in France. The only example previously known was
killed on September 2nd, 1878, by Dr. de Montessus in
the Department of Sadne d. Loire, and is now preserved
in the Museum of Autun,
Yours &e.,
Count EH. Arricont Deer Opp,
Villa del Monte a Pulicciano,
Certaldo Val d’Elsa (Toscana),
March 24th, 1903,
Sirs,—I ought to have pointed out before that in the
‘Ibis’ for 1902 (p. 410) Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant has
made it appear that I obtained examples of Pyrrhulauda
leucotis (Stanl.) on the White Nile in 1900. ‘The species,
however, of which I procured specimens was P. melano-
cephala (Licht.), but from want of material I identified them
wrongly as P. leucotis (see Ibis, 1901, p. 245).
Yours &e.,
Holmehurst, Burley, New Forest, Harry F, WitHersy.
May 19, 1903.
Proceedings at the Anniversary Meeting of the British
Ornithologists’ Union, 1903.—The Annual General Meeting
of the British Ornithologists’ Union was held in the meeting-
room of the Zoological Society of London, 3 Hanover
Square (by permission of the Council of that Society), on
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. 2¥F
434. Letters, Extracts, &c.
Wednesday, the 13th of May, at 6 p.m. Dr. F. DuCane
Godman, F.R.S., the President, took the Chair.
The Minutes of the last Annual Meeting having been read
and confirmed, the following Report of the Committee was
read :—*The Committee regret to have to announce the
loss by death since the last Anniversary of two Ordinary
Members of the Union, namely, Mr. Thomas E. Buckley
(an old and highly valued member) and Mr, Nigel Gurney.
There have been five resignations, viz., those of Mr. F. EK.
Beddard, F'.R.S., Mr. S. R. Crockett, Mr. Lionel Hinxman,
Mr. P. M. C. Kermode, and Mr. W. Stoate. One election
has been cancelled under Rule V. (that of Mr. A. E. Maxwell),
and two members have been removed under Rule VI. (the
Hon. R. Coke and Mr. J. L. Newman).
“The Union on May 138th consisted of 365 Ordinary
Members, 2 Extra-Ordinary Members, 9 Honorary Members
(one less than the complement, owing to the lamented death
of Dr. Gustav Radde, Director of the Tiflis Museum), and
19 Foreign Members.
“There are at present 21 candidates for the Ordinary
Membership, whilst Mr. R. Ridgway’s transference from
the Foreign to the Honorary Membership is recommended
by the Committee, who also recommend Dr. G. Martorelli
for election as a Foreign Member, and Col. W. Vincent
Legge (at present an Ordinary Member), Capt. F. W. Hut-
ton, F.R.S., and Mr. A. J. North for election as Colonial
Members under Rule II. as amended at the last General
_ Meeting.”
The Meeting then proceeded to elect officers for the
ensuing year, when it was announced that Dr. F. DuCane
Godman, F.R.S., had been re-elected President, Mr. Howard
Saunders Secretary, and Mr. W. E. de Winton a member of
the Committee in place of Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, who had
retired by rotation.
The following twenty gentlemen were then ballotted for
and elected Ordinary Members :—Max Bartels, Pasir Datar,
Java, Dutch Indies; The Rey. Francis L. Blathwayt, 173
Letters, Extracts, &c. 435
Monks Road, Lincoln; Godfrey P. Burrell, Brooklands,
Alton, Hants; Frederick O. Pickard Cambridge, 35 Haydon
Park Road, Wimbledon; John C. Crowley, B.A., 16 Chats-
worth Road, Croydon; Edward V. Earle, Franks, Farning-
ham, Kent; Nevin H. Foster, Hillsborough, Co. Down ;
Hugh S. Gladstone, B.A., Capenoch, Thornhill, Dumfries-
shire, N.B.; Ambrose Y. Lethbridge, Warmwell, Dorchester;
The Rev. Henry H. Mills, Treslothan Vicarage, Camborne,
Cornwall; Major Frederick W. Proctor, Downfield, Maiden-
head; Pilcher G. Ralfe, The Parade, Castletown, Isle of
Man; Frederick R. Ratcliff, 24 Lancaster Gate, W.; Wil-
ham E. Renaut, 15 Grafton Square, Clapham, S.W.; Capt.
Robert P. Sandeman, Dan-y-Park, Crickhowell; Capt.
Richard Sparrow, 7th Dragoon Guards, and Rookwoods,
Sible Headingham, Essex; Claud B. Ticehurst, Winstowe,
St. Leonard’s-on-Sea; Hugh B. Watt, 3 Victoria Drive,
Mount Florida, Glasgow; Stephen J. White, Oakwood,
Crayford, Kent; Charles H.T, Whitehead, Deighton Grove,
Work:
It was agreed that the name of Mr. Robert Ridgway,
C.M.Z.S., should be transferred from the list of Foreign to
that of Honorary Members.
The following members were then elected Colonial Mem-
bers of the Union :—Capt. F. W. Hutton, F.R.S., C.M.Z.S.,
Col. W. Vincent Legge, F.Z.S., and Alfred J. North,
C.M.Z.S.; and Dr. Giacinto Martorelli, of Milan, was elected
a Foreign Member.
After a vote of thanks to the Council of the Zoological
Society of London for the use of their rooms had been
unanimously agreed to the Meeting adjourned.
The Annual Dinner, subsequently heid at Limmer’s Hotel
(Dr. F. DuCane Godman in the Chair), was attended by
seventeen Members and Guests.
Mr. Watrer Goopre.tiow, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U., is gone on
a uew ornitliological Expedition, and on this occasion has
436 Letters, Extracts, &e.
selected the “ Far East” for his collecting-ground. A letter
from him, written in January last and dated at Dasao, Min-
danao, Philippines, informs us that he was shortly leaving
that port for the high mountains in the interior of the island,
where he hoped to meet with birds as yet undiscovered. He
describes the present state of Mindanao as ‘ fairly quiet,”
and states that the American officers have been most kind
to him, and have helped him in every way.
The last letters received from Mr. Micuarn J. NicuHo.u,
Naturalist to the Earl of Crawford’s 8.Y. ‘ Valhalla,’ were
posted at Suva, Fijis. After touching at Punta Arenas, in the
Straits of Magellan, the yacht proceeded to the Pacific by
Smyth’s Channel. The scenery was very fine there, but bird-
life was searce. Mr. Nicholl obtained specimens of all the
birds he saw, including three species of Cormorants, Skuas,
Diving Petrels, a Goose, and a Rail. At Valparaiso several
Gulls were obtained, besides Petrels and Albatrosscs.
Short visits were made to Easter and Pitcairn Islands. At
the latter island five specimens of a Zosterops were obtained.
About 100 bird-skins, sent home from Valparaiso, have
been received safely at the British Museum.
The Ostrich-farm at Nice.—The new Ostrich-farm at Nice
is well worth a visit. It is about 2 miles out of the city on
the Cagnes read, but is easily accessible by “tram.” The
farm is conducted on strictly mercantile principles, the object
being not only to breed Ostriches, but to sell “ feather-goods ”
of all sorts produced by these birds. ‘The present stock on
the farm consists of about 100 birds imported from California.
The stock now in California, where there are several flourishing
Ostrich-farms (at San Diego and elsewhere), was originally
obtained from the Cape, so that these birds belong to the form
of Ostrich distinguished as Struthio cumelus capensis ; but
there are also some birds lately received from North Africa,
which, when adult, will, no doubt, turn out to be examples
Letters, Extracts, &c. 437
of typical S. camelus. The eggs are mostly hatched in an
incubator. The Director of the Nice Ostrich-farm is Mr. W.
S. Belfield. We believe that this is the first Ostrich-farm
established in Europe, and heartily wish it success.
The Philadelphian Collection of Birds.—The Report of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia for 1902 gives
a good account of the condition and prospects of its celebrated
collection of birds, which is now, we believe, mainly under
the care of Mr. Witmer Stone. About one-half the mounted
series has been re-arranged in systematic order on the “ new
ornithological floor,” after having been carefully examined
by the taxidermist and properly labelled. The large “ study
collection” in skins has been likewise well attended to.
Among the important additions received during the past year
have been a series from Sumatra collected and presented by
Mr. A. C. Harrison and Dr. H. M. Hiller, a set of Galapagan
birds obtained by purchase, and a good series of New-Mexican
birds collected by Mr. Rehn.
The Hart Museum, Christchurch.—We are pleased to learn
from ‘The Standard’ of June 8th that the Hart Museum
of Birds at Christchurch is likely to find a permanent home
at Bournemouth. ‘The Standard’ makes the following
remarks :—
‘ All visitors to Christchurch who are interested in matters
ornithological know the well-stocked Museum which stands
about half-way between the railway station and the famous
Abbey. Everybody with even an elementary acquaintance
with local avifaunas knows that this museum contains one
of the best collections of birds ever got together and set up
by one man from a single district. In some respects it may
be said to resemble the museum on the Dyke-road, at
Brighton, for the late E. T. Booth shot the specimens and
mounted them himself, and he is said to have been ‘the
first to exhibit not merely a collection of stuffed birds, but
438 Letters, Extracts, &c.
rather a true representation of bird-life and haunts.’ There,
however, the resemblance ends. Booth took the British
Islands for his hunting-grounds, but the life-work of the
owner of the Christchurch Museum has been almost entirely
done in the New Forest district, which the Victoria County
History defines, for the purposes of natural history, as the
tract of country lymg between Southampton Water on the
east and the Avon on the west.
*« As arule, the breeding species, whether resident or simply
coming here for nesting purposes, are represented by the
male and female; and, wherever possible, nest, eggs, and
immature young are added. The cases in which the birds
are mounted are small; but the principle laid down by
Booth of a close adherence to natural surroundings, and
insisted ou in the Bird-Gallery of the Natural History
Museum, is here followed. According to the last-published
Catalogue (1894), there are about a hundred cases of
Passerine birds, of which the most important are an
Alpine Accentor, shot in the old Castle gardens in 1855 ;
the Bearded Titmouse, now extinct in the district; the
Golden Oriole, which has nested on Lord Malmesbury’s
estate, and of which species there is an egg in the col-
lection; locally-killed Choughs (1861); and the Nut-
cracker, the actual specimen referred to by the late
John Henry Gurney in his ‘ Rambles of a Naturalist.’ The
Picarian birds occupy about a dozen cases, the most important
being the Roller and the Bee-eater; and there are some
excellent examples of the Hoopoe, which is probably increasing
as a breeding species. The Eagle Owl and Snowy Owl came
from the Grantley-Berkeley Collection, dispersed many years
ago; but the evidence for their occurrence in Hampshire
would scarcely satisfy Ornithologists of the present day.
“The gem of the museum is the case of Honey-Buzzards ;
the male and female were obtained in 1860, when several
pairs of these birds visited the Forest, and a nestling was got
in 1875. a
“ Other noteworthy examples of Birds of Prey are a pair of
Letters, Extracts, &c. 439
Red-footed Falcons, a pair of Ospreys (1870), and a single
example of the Kite. The Egyptian Goose and the Summer
Duck should be discarded as having no connexion with the
county, being probably escapes from ornamental waters.
“The Rails and Plovers are well represented, as are Gulls,
Terns, Petrels, and Divers. The late Lord Lilford believed
that the White-winged Black Tern formerly bred near the
Avon, for the visitors on the spring migration are always
met with at one particular spot on the river.
“For some time it has been known that Mr. Hart
wished to dispose of his collection as a whole. Last
November the suggestion was made that it should be
acquired by the County Borough of Bournemouth, where
it might be suitably housed, and constitute the nucleus
whence should develop a museum illustrating the biology of
Hants and Dorset. ‘The immediate reply to that suggestion
was the offer of £100 from a local resident towards a fund
for the purchase of the collection and the erection of a
suitable museum. Quite recently the matter has again come
to the front, and at a meeting, under the presidency of the
Mayor, the resolution was carried that it was desirable
in the interests of Bournemouth to purchase the Hart Col-
lection, and a committee has been appointed to give effect
to this expression of the popular will.”’—Standard.
Oxsrituary.—A much valued friend and correspondent has
been lost to us by the death of Dr. Gustav Rappr, the
well-known Director of the Caucasian Museum at Tiflis,
and a veteran worker in Ornithology. Radde, the son of a
schoolmaster at Danzig, was born in 1831, and from early
youth showed his predilection for Natural History. In 1852
and the following years he was employed in the Crimea,
as assistant to the botanist Steven, in collecting plants
and making drawings of them. A memoir on the botany
of the Tauric Peninsula written by him was published
in the ‘ Bulletin’ of the Society of Naturalists of Moscow
in 1854.
440 Letters, Extracts, &c.
In 1855 Radde obtained the post of Botanist and Zoologist
to Schwartz’s expedition to the newly annexed Amoorland,
and passed four years in the exploration of that then almost
unexplored region. The result of this famous expedition
was a series of works and memoirs on the geography, ethno-
graphy, and zoology of Eastern Siberia, of which that of the
greatest interest to Ornithologists is the quarto volume on
the “ Festlands-Ornis,” published by the Russian Geogra-
phical Society in 1863, and well known to most of our
readers as containing one of the best accounts of the birds
of Eastern Siberia.
In 1864 Radde removed to the Caucasus and took up
his residence at Tiflis, where he founded a Natural History
Museum and Library and remained actively engaged in
their administration and on various kindred pursuits up to
the time of his death. Next to the Siberian volume, Radde’s
‘Ornis Caucasica,’ published at Cassel in 1884, is the one
amongst his numerous scientific works and memoirs, illus-
trative of the Natural History of the Caucasus and of the
adjoining portions of the Russian dominions, by which he is
best known to Ornithologists. Radde was throughout his
life an ardent traveller, and was frequently engaged in ex-
cursions of a longer or shorter character. When the Grand
Duke Michael made his yacht-voyage to India and Japan in
1895, Radde was selected to accompany him, and he was
again chosen two years later to go aloug with some members
of the Imperial family to North Africa. Radde spoke
English fluently, and was well acquainted with many of our
Union, of which he was a Foreign Member. He was also a
Foreign Member of the Zoological Society of London, and
received one of the Gold Medals of the Geographical Society
in 1889. At the time of his death he was engaged in the
preparation of an account of the Collections of the Caucasian
Museum, of which three volumes (out of six) have already
appeared.
Pie 1 BS
EIGHTH SERIES.
No. XII. OCTOBER 1903.
XXXVII.—On a Collection of Birds from North-western
Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. By Dr. Einar
Lonnsere, C.M.ZS.
CONTENTS.
Page
ep lmtraductory: omarics. os. ie <cstooxers+ pale » ay cieiershetees 44]
II. Birds of Quinta, Province of Jujuy, Argentine
AESep enn Pict uetatainter ccs sta) custols els tetae ete tera claret er 444
Ill. Birds of Moreno on the Puna de Jujuy, Argentine
ERG TMEI IAG ors, ocreiaisle gelele)(eienato, ole pkh\ dels)! cages ernie 445
IV. Birds of San Luis, near Tarija, in Bolivia ........ 452
V. Birds of Tatarenda and Fortin Crevaux, in the
Gling, CHOCO. gictetarire cleiere, eis viesaie nialatss”) > aeanietese 458
I. Inrropuctory Remarks.
When the Swedish Expedition to Argentina and Bolivia,
under the direction of Baron Erland Nordenskiéld, returned
home in 1902, I was requested to examine and determine
the birds of the collection which had been made in those
countries. At the beginning of the expedition Baron
Nordenskidld had no intention of collecting birds ; but
when, a little later, Mr. G. von Hofsten joined the party, he
was placed in charge of this particular department of zoology.
The ornithological results of the expedition are thus chiefly
due to Mr. von Hofsten, who, although not a trained
naturalist, succeeded in getting together a comparatively
SER. VIII.— VOL. III. 26
4.42 Dr. E. Lénnberg on Birds from
large series of birds, and also in making some interesting
field-notes on their life-history.
The collections were made principally at the following
stations :—
1. La Quinta, Province or Jusuy.—The vegetation kere
consisted of a luxuriant tropical or subtropical forest, in
which a lake, the “ Laguna del Sauzal,” lay imbedded. On
this lake bird-life was very rich.
2. Morreno.—A place situated on the “ Puna de Jujuy,”
a large plateau some 250 kilometres in length, and from
50 to 70 kilometres in breadth. This plateau is about
3900 metres above sea-level; it is sandy in the centre, but
is surrounded by rocks and mountains which attain to a
maximum height of 6100 metres. The sandy ground is
mostly firm, but in some places there are moving dunes.
The vegetation is very characteristic. There are no trees at
all, but numbers of xerophilous shrubs, as a rule about
a metre high, are scattered over the “puna.” Between
them the naked sand lies bare, almost without any vege-
tation. In addition to the shrubs, great columnar cactuses
are found in numbers in some places. The sandy plain
is traversed by rivulets from the surrounding mountains,
which all end or disappear in a large central salina. During
the dry season this salina does not contain any water, but
becomes a thick layer of salt. Along the edges of the
rivulets there is a peculiar vegetation, and Pampas-grass
(Gynerium) also grows there.
3. San Lurs.—A small place near the Bolivian town of
Tarijja, and Tolomosa, ten kilometres from it. Tarija is
situated 1900 metres above the sea. The ground is here a
kind of ‘loess,’ renowned for its richness in pleistocene
fossils. This loess is most fantastically cut out by rivulets
and watercourses into ‘ barrancas ”’ of different shape and
appearance. The vegetation is mostly composed of low
mimosaceous trees and different shrubs of a spiny nature.
In the barrancas grow tall trees of Schinus and various
bushes. Along the river Salix humboldtiana attains a height
of about 15 metres.
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 443
Text-fig. 14.
a ; R OULE memeencr
> igen ee mee
‘
ee - Seale of Miles a
3 0 10°20 30 40 50 6o ~
ida li Ses
yy : Nat.scale |:4,000,000 or 63 miles =)inch
Sketch-map shewing the routes of Baron Erland Nordenskidld in
Argentina and Bolivia.
(From ‘The Geographical Journal,’ vol. xxi. p. 513, 1903.)
444, Dr. E. Lounberg on Birds from
4, TaTarENnDA, near Caiza, in the Bolivian Chaco, on the
border between the tropical forest and the ‘ dry” woods.
The latter consist of low trees, which shed their foliage
during the dry season, so that the ground is then thickly
covered with withered leaves. In the woods there are many
open places, which are marshy during the rainy season, but
are afterwards dry and covered with grass. At one place
there is a forest of palms (Copernicia serrifera) extending
over an area about five kilometres in length, but elsewhere
no palms are to be seen.
5. CotonrA ok Fortin Crevaux, Bolivian Chaco, on the
Pileomayo.—Along the river are dense woods of Salix
humboldtiana and of a tree called “ bubu ” belonging: to the
Compositz, besides a number of smaller trees and shrubs.
In some places there grows a gigantic Phragmites. The river
forms a number of small lakes.
[These localities are mostly shown in the map on p. 443,
which has been kindly lent to us by the Royal Geographical
Society. It was prepared to illustrate Baron Erland
Nordenskidld’s account of his expedition. See Geogr.
Journ. xxi. p. 518, May 1903.—Epp. |
II. Brros or Quinta, Province or Jusuy, ArGEntrINE
RePvuBLIC.
When the expedition was at work at Quinta, Mr. G.
von Hofsten had not joined the party, so that the specimens
collected were few in number. Most of them were shot
in or near the Laguna del Sauzal, a small lake surrounded
by luxuriant tropical forest. The species met with may,
however, be considered characteristic of the fauna of this
tract. ‘They were as follows :—
1. Gallinula galeata (Licht). 8. Parra jacana Linn.
2. Aramides chiricote ( Vzeddlot). 9. Plegadis guarauna (Latham).
3. Larus cirrhocephalus Vedllot. 10, Cairina moschata (Laun.).
4, Vanellus chilensis (Molina)*. 11. Dendrocyena viduata (Linn.).
5, Agialitis collaris ( Veeedlot). 12. Spatula platalea (Veeill.).
6. Himantopus melanurus Vieillot. | 18. Querquedula versicolor( Viedll.).
7. Totanus flavipes (Gm.). 14, Phalacrocorax vigua ( Vieill.).
* This specimen has the short tarsi of V. chilensts, but the tail is only
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 4.45
Among the birds observed at Quinta the “ Chufia”
(Chunga burmeisteri) should also be mentioned, and a
small Owl, obtained at the same locality, which I refer to
Glaucidium phalenoides (Daud.).
The following Trochilide were collected at Quinta by
Dr. Rob. Fries :—
Heliomaster furcifer (G. Shaw). Lesbia sparganura (G, Shaw).
Chlorostilbon aureiventris (@’ Ord. Cheetocercus burmeisteri
et Lafr.). (Scluter)*.
III. Brrps or Moreno on tHe Puna DE Jusuy,
ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.
Moreno, the second station where birds were collected,
was much more interesting, both from its situation at such
a great altitude above the sea-level and from the natural
conditions prevailing there. Mr. von Hofsten tried,
therefore, to collect as many specimens as he was able
and made some notes about species that were noticed but
could not be obtained. The following list may be regarded
as fairly complete, as it is based on observations continued
through two months and a half.
1. Zenarpa auricuLata (Des Murs).
Only one specimen was observed and shot at Moreno
on December 6th, 1901. It agrees perfectly with the
description in the Cat. of Birds, vol. xxi., except that the
ear-spot is obsolete. Iris reddish brown.
narrowly tipped with white. The colour of the head may be termed
ashy-brown. It is thus in its coloration apparently intermediate
between I’. chilensis and V. cayennensis, although from its size it must be
assigned to the former species,
* A female of this very rare species was obtained at Quinta. <A short
time ago the type at Buenos Aires was the only known specimen of this
bird. The type was a male, and the female was unknown when Mr. EK.
Hartert wrote the “Trochilide” in ‘Das Tierreich’ in 1900. This
female is not, however, the first obtained, as Mr. Hartert has recently
examined five specimens and has described one of them in the Bull.
Brit. Orn. Club, vol. xii. p. 48. The type-specimen was from Tucuman,
a more southern locality than the Province of Jujuy.
416 Dr. E. Lénaberg on Birds from
2. Merrioperia Aymara (d’Orb.).
Three specimens in spirit, This Pigeon seems to have
been common.
3. Merriopenra MELANoprerRA (Molina).
A specimen preserved in spirit agrees perfectly with the
description in the Cat. of Birds, but its measurements are
rather smaller. Wing 130, tail 85 mm.
4, PTILOsCcELIS RESPLENDENS (Tschudi),
In habits and manner of occurrence this bird resembles
the European Lapwing. It feeds on larve and insects, but
more especially on a small crustacean (Hylea levis). Usually
from eight to ten individuals are found together on the moist
meadows. When disturbed they fly screaming round and warn
other birds, being thus troublesome to the hunter. Speci-
mens were collected in October and November 1901.
+5. Cuaraprivs pominicus Mull.
Only one specimen was observed and shot, December Ist,
1901, on a rivulet near Moreno.
6. ANGIALITIS SEMIPALMATA (Bp.).
This bird occurred in small flocks of from ten to fifteen
individuals on the moist meadows, feeding on insects.
+7, Hereroryera mMacuata (Vieillot),
This Wader occurred in couples on the moist meadows,
feeding on insects and crabs, Specimens were shot at
~Moreno in December 1901.
8. THINOCORUS ORBIGNIANUS Geoffr. & Less.
These birds live in flocks of from six to ten on the sandy
plains and fields of drifting sand. They resemble Sand-
Grouse, and have a remarkable similarity to the ground
which they frequent. They squat very close.
A specimen from Moreno, shot in December 1901, is
somewhat abnormal. Its measurements are unusually small
(wing 125, tail 62, tarsus 16 mm.), but, on the other hand,
they are larger than those of 7. rwmicivorus, while the tail
is even longer than in typical 7. orbignianus. The skin
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 447
is in such a bad state that it is difficult to ascertain the
colour of some parts of the plumage, but the back is
not stained and its colour is more sandy than in typical
T. orbignianus, with hardly any rufous tinge. The forehead
and nape are not grey but sand-coloured with black central
spots, thus resembling the back in colour. The sides of the
face are light sandy. The colour of the fore-neck cannot be
made out, and in other respects the plumage is similar to that
of the known species. It is thus difficult to form an opinion
about the specimen. It might be a young bird, although it
does not appear to be so.
+9. Piecapis GUARAUNA (Linn.).
In large flocks on the moist meadows.
10. Nycricorax TAYAzuGUIRA (Vieillot).
A young bird, the only specimen obtained, was shot in
November 1901 at San Antonio, Puna de Jujuy,
11. Nerrion rravrrostreE (Vieillot).
This little Duck was rather common in the rivulets on the
puna.
12. Spatuxa PLaTALeA (Vieillot).
A young female was shot in a rivulet at Moreno on
December 10th, 1901, but the species was rather scarce.
Other specimens were shot at Abra Pampa, not far from
Moreno.
13. IsycrerR MeGaLorrTerus (Meyer).
Very common at Moreno. It feeds on carrion, though
also on living prey, and in addition to this on insects
(beetles) and seeds,
14. Bureo ERyTHRONOTUS (King).
A beautiful female specimen of this Buzzard was obtained
at Moreno.
415. Fanco rusco-cmrutescens Vieillot.
Two specimens, shot at Moreno in November 1901. This
Falcon preys on small birds and mice.
448 Dr. E. Lonnberg on Birds from
16. Srpeoryro cunicuLaria (Molina).
This little Owl was to be seen by day as well as by night,
but generally after it had become dark. It lives in pairs
among the Tola-bushes (Leptophylium), and nests in burrows
belonging to rodents. The prey consists of small birds and
mammals, as well as of beetles. The length of the wing
in the specimens brought home varied from 191 to 200 mm.
It was common at Moreno.
17. BoLBoruyYNcHuws orBIGNYI Finsch.
Iris brown. Fully-developed specimens agree perfectly with
the description of this species in the Cat. of Birds (vol. xx.
p. 236), except that the great under tail-coverts have a slight
bluish tinge, in which respect they resemble the corresponding
feathers of B. rubrirostris. In some specimens the tail is
rather short, but that seems to depend upon the fact that it
is much worn. [I think, therefore, that the Parrakeet of
Moreno must be referred to this species, even if in some
degree it approaches B. rubrirostris.
This little Parrakeet occurs at Moreno in large flocks of
several hundreds, which fly about screaming loudly. But
they are only found where the Tola-bushes (Leptophyllum)
grow, and seem to feed exclusively on the buds and seeds of
those shrubs. They nest in burrows which are dug out in
the barrancas. Mr. von Hofsten examined two breeding-
holes, and found that they consisted of a burrow about two
metres long which ran almost straight into the barranca but
sloped upwards. At the end of this duct was a chamber
containing the nest made of feathers, and the white eggs.
Beyond the chamber another duct contimued of from 20 to
30 cm. in length which led to a larger chamber, apparently
used for defzecating.
18. Paracona e1eas (Vieillot).
This Humming-bird certainly seems to visit the white
flowers of the great columnar cactus for the honey as well
as for the insects in the flowers. It was also obtained at Ojo
del Agua, Puna de Jujuy, but was not common.
N.W, Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 449
19. CuLorosTILBON AUREIVENTRIS (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
Mr. von Hofsten twice found nests of this little Humming-
bird. They are very simply made of grass-straws and wool
of the vicufia. In the first was found one, in the other two
white eggs measuring 16 by 10 mm. The nests were placed
in crevices in the rocks, at steep and inaccessible places.
20. CoLapres rupicoia d’Orb.
This Woodpecker occurred at an altitude of 5000 metres
above the sea-level, but was rather rare. A male and female
were killed, December Ist, 1901. Dr. Sclater has recorded
it as occurring in Peru at an altitude of 12,170 feet
(P. Z. S. 1881, p. 488), on the authority of Prof. Nation.
It feeds on larve which it hacks up directly from the
ground.
21. CincLopes Brrascratus Sclater.
This bird reminds one in its habits of the European
Cinclus. It lives on rivulets, hopping from stone to stone.
Now and then it dips its head under the water to catch larvee
and small crabs, sometimes even descending wholly into the
stream. | It builds its nest of grass-straws in shrubs at the
water’s edge. It is found up to an altitude of about 5000
metres above the sea-level.
22. Geositta cunIcuLARI4a (Vieill.).
Iris yellowish brown. To judge from the general colora-
tion of the plumage and the measurements, the Geositla
obtained at Moreno belongs to this species, but the breast
seems to be entirely unspotted in the specimens brought
home. It may, therefore, perhaps represent a distinct race
or subspecies. It is too small to belong to G. rufipennis,
from which it also differs in having the second primary
almost wholly rufous on the inner web, and the first basally
and centrally with a rufous tinge.
The collector states that this bird is common at Moreno,
where it runs on the sandy ground among the Tola-bushes,
feeding on insects. Its flight is in curves up and down, and
when it descends it seems to fall vertically to the ground.
450 Dr. E. Lonnberg on Birds from
23. Ureucrerruia pumEToria Geoffr. et d’Orb.
Only one specimen was observed, shot at Moreno in
December, 1901. It was feeding on insects.
24. LEPTASTHENURA HGITHALOIDEs (Kittl.).
Mr. von Hofsten remarks, as others have done before him,
that this bird in its behaviour recalls the Long-tailed Tit
of Europe. <A pair had their nest, containing three white
eggs, in a stone wall at Moreno in December, 1901.
25, PHACELLODOMUS sTRIATICEPS (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
A nest of this bird was found at Moreno in December,
1901. It was composed of small sticks, and was 150 cm.
high and 40 cm. broad. It contained three white eggs.
26. AGRIORNIS ANDICOLA d’Orb.
A single specimen, observed at Moreno, was shot on
December 4th, 1901. It was feeding on insects.
27. MuscISAXICOLA RUFIVERTEX d’Orb. et Lafr.
This bird is stated to be rather common in small flocks on
the moist meadows at Moreno.
28. CenTRITES OREAS Sclater & Salvin.
Iris dark brown. Two examples, male and female, must
belong to this species, as the former has the inner web of
the primaries pale cinereous, almost white, and similarly
the female has the inner web of the primaries pale with
a cinnamomeous tinge. Otherwise they agree with the
description of C. niger in the Cat. of Birds (xiv. p. 62), but
the above-mentioned characteristics are said to be the dis-
tinguishing features of C. oreas. The bird, stated to belong
to the fauna of Bolivia and Peru, is thus recorded as an
inhabitant of the Cordillera of Argentina.
At Moreno it was not uncommon in suitable localities.
It was usually seen in pairs on the moist meadows, where it
hopped about catching insects.
—29. ATTICORA CYANOLEUCA (Vieill.). ~
Iris dark brown. This Swallow nests in holes in the
barrancas at the same places as Bolborhynchus, and in
company with it. It sometimes uses the burrows made
by the Parrakeet. It was not numerous at Moreno.
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 451
30. CurysoMITRIS UROPYGIALIS Sclater.
This bird lives in cultivated places, on meadows, and near
water. It is not common; it feeds on seeds. It was
observed at Moreno up to an altitude of at least 4600 metres
above the sea-level.
31. PsrupocHtoris LutEa (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
This bird is usually seen singly along the rivulets at
Moreno, where it is common, It feeds on seeds and buds.
32. ZoNoTRICHIA CANICAPILLA Gould.
Iris yellowish brown. Very common at Moreno, feeding
on seeds and insects ; it builds its nest in stone walls and
under the roofs of houses.
The specimens from Moreno are to a certain extent inter-
mediate between Z. pileata and Z. canicapilla, having the
coloration of the former and especially the black bands on the
sides of the crown ; but they are much larger than Z. pileata,
almost attaining the size of Z. canicapilla, and I therefore
refer them to that species. Wing 80, tail 75, culmen J3 mm.
Schalow (Fauna Chilensis, Bd, i. Zool. Jahrb. Suppl.
p-. 723) regards Z, canicapilla as a subspecies of Z. pileata.
33. PHryaitus rruticeti (Kittl.).
Rather scarce, feeds on seeds and buds. Two specimens
were shot at Moreno in November, 1901. It has been
reported by Dr. Sclater from Peru, at an altitude of
14,000 feet (cf. P. Z. S. 1881, p. 486).
34, Puryeiius arricers (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
Iris yellowish brown, This bird was common in the
Pampas-grass (Gynerium) along the rivulets at Moreno.
Its food consisted of seeds and buds. It builds its nest
in tufts of Pampas-grass. One which Mr. von Hofsten
brought to me was taken on December 20th, 1901, and was
constructed of grasses and pieces of dry herbs, lined with
horse-hair and the wool of the vicuiia. It contained three
eggs, bluish green in colour, with numerous small pale
brown spots and blotches scattered all over the surface, most
densely at the greatest circumference and least at the ends,
The longitudinal diameter of the eggs was 24-25 mm., the
greatest transverse 17 mm,
4.52 Dr. E. Lonuberg on Birds from
35. PuryGitus pLeBerus Cab.
Iris brown. This was the most common bird at Moreno.
It resembles the European House-Sparrow in its habits. It
builds its nest in crevices in the rocks, but also under the
roof-tiles of houses and in bushes. The eggs are said by
Mr. von Hofsten to be white, measuring 22 mm. in length
by 15 mm. in breadth. Usually there are three or four in
a nest. The food of the bird consists of seeds, buds, and
caterpillars.
IV. Birps or San Luts, near Tarisa, iN BOuivia.
The third Station of the Swedish Expedition was near
Tarija, at a place named San Luis. In its surroundings
it resembled the second as regards the natural conditions,
but it was not so high above the sea as Moreno, and,
although “ puna” prevailed round Tarija as well, there was
a richer vegetation, which made a change for the better.
The bird-life was almost entirely different from that of
Moreno, and decidedly richer.
The following birds were collected at the third Station and
during excursions around the same.
1. Nornura sorivtana Salvadori.
The specimen from San Luis which I refer to this species
(iris brown) has no markings on the inner webs of the three
outer primaries. Wing 125 mm., tarsus 29mm. It was
shot in January 1902, and eggs taken on January 16th
probably belong to this species, as no other member of the
family was procured. ‘They were laid in a shallow nest lined
with twigs, straws, and feathers of the bird. They were
four in number and measured from 43 to 45 mm. in length
to 32°5 mm. in thickness. They have the usual enamelled
or china-like surface, and are in some lights greyish with
a plum-coloured tinge, in others brownish with a tinge of
chocolate. =
2. CotumBULA Picul (Temm.).
One specimen, shot at San Luis, January 27th, 1902.
Iris lilac.
N.IW. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 453
+-3, ARGIALITIS SEMIPALMATA (Bp.).
San Luis, February 6th, 1902. Iris brown.
+4, Hrrrropyeia macutara (Vieill.).
San Luis, February 8th, 1902.
Zapatero, March 8th, 1902.
+5. QuERQUEDULA VERsIcoLor (Viceill.).
San Luis, March 4th, 1902.
6. SPATULA PLATALEA (Vieill.).
Iris reddish yellow (stated to be white in Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. vol. xxvii. p. 317).
This specimen is an adult shot at San Luis in April,
1902. A young bird shot at Abra Pampa on the “ puna,”
is stated to have had brown eyes.
Pairs are usually found on the rivulets.
+7. PHatacrocorax vicua (Vieill.).
Adult birds in full plumage were shot at. San Luis,
March 4th, 1902. An adult bird in transitory plumage was
shot on January 17th.
8. Faxco cassini Sharpe.
Tolomosa, February 8th, 1902.
The bluish-ashy and black bars on the tail are distinct to
the tip ; otherwise the example agrees with the description
in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. vol.i. Wing 345mm. Iris brown.
9. TINNUNCULUS CINNAMOMIMUS (Swains.).
Adult males from San Luis, January 26th, 1902. Three
females from the same place, January 1902. Iris brown,
10. PotyBoxus THARUs (Molina).
This Carrion-Hawk was very common at San Luis, and
appeared as soon as anything that could pass for eatable was
thrown out. Iris yellow (brown, according to Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. vol. i.).
11. BotBoruyncuus ayMara (d’Orb.).
Occurred at San Luis in large flocks, screaming loudly
when flying round, Iris brown.
454, Dr. E. Lonnberg on Birds from
412. Curyie amazona (Latham).
The only specimen observed was shot at San Luis on the
way to the Chaco in March 1902. Iris brown.
13. CERYLE AMERICANA (Gm.).
San Luis, January 24th, 1902. Iris red-brown.
14, CHLOROSTILBON AUREIVENTRIS (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
San Luis, January 1902.
15. Guira prririeva (Vieill.).
A specimen shot at San Luis, January 16th, 1902, had on
the right side of the tail four white-tipped feathers, owing
to the fact that a new feather had been fully developed
before any of the old had been shed. Iris reddish yellow.
+16. Coccyzus americanus (Linn.).
Shot at San Luis, February 8th, 1902. Inis yellowish
brown, according to the label.
17. PicoLtarres ANGUSTIROsSTRIS (Vieill.).
San Luis, February 1902. Iris brown.
18. Srerornis striaticeps (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
Tolomosa, January 31st, 1902. Inis brown.
Cap decidedly striated, especially in front. Flanks and
erissum washed with brownish (or greyish fulvous); three
proximal secondaries with a longitudinal rufous stripe
on the outer web. In coloration this bird approaches
Siptornis rufipennis of Sclater and Salvin, but the measure-
ments are those of S. striaticeps, of which it is probably
_ only a variety, though perhaps a connecting-link between the
two forms.
19. SrprorNis orBicNyYI (Reichenb.).
A specimen of this bird was shot at San Luis in February
1902.
This bird was seen and observed daily by Mr. von Hofsten
and other members of the Expedition while it was building a
very large nest of straws. A pair of Saltator laticlavius were
also often seen near the place, and the Saltator was observed
occasionally to enter the nest of the Stptornis. The two
birds were, however, not on friendly terms, but often fought
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 455
with each other. Finally, the pair of Saltator laticlavius
was shot on January 26th, 1902, and on February 6th
the Siptornis met with the same fate, after which the
nest was investigated more closely. Mr. von Hofsten then
found only one “ sitting-place ” in the nest and in it three
eggs of two different kinds lying together. One of these
is white, measuring 23°5 mm. in length and 17°5 mm. in
thickness. I presume that this egg belongs to the Stptornis.
The two others are larger, thicker, and more rounded,
measuring 24 mm. in length by 20 mm. in thickness.
Their ground-colour is greenish white, spotted all over with
irregular reddish-brown, or almost red, spots and with
fainter bluish. violet or bluish-grey blotches. I suppose that
these beautiful eggs were deposited by the Sa/tator.
The question now arises, has Saltator laticlavius parasitic
habits and had it in this case the intention of letting the
Siptornis hatch its eggs and rear its young? I do not think
so. If there had been only one Saltator egg in the nest
this might have been probable, but I think that the Saltator
wished to take the whole nest for its own purposes and
had laid two eggs. When the Saltators were killed the pair
of Siptornis regained the nest and began to lay eggs.
20. Puyroroma ancustirostRis d’Orb. et Lafr.
A male specimen from San Luis on January 26th, 1902,
and a female shot at the same place a day later. Both
are said to have had the iris reddish yellow (‘ gialla,”
according to Salvadori, J. c.).
Especially in the mornings and evenings, single individuals
of this species were seen sitting in the tree-tops making a
creaking noise similar to that produced when a broken
branch of a tree is moved by the wind.
21. CnIPOLEGUS ANTHRACINUS Heine.
Tolomosa, January 31st, 1902. Occurred in flocks.
22. PyrocepHaLus RuBINEUs (Bodd.).
This beautiful little bird lives in trees like a Flycatcher
(Muscicapa). 'Tolomosa, January 1902.
4.56 Dr. E. Lénnberg on Birds from
23. TYRANNUS MELANCHOLICUS Vieillot.
San Luis, January 19th, 1902.
24. ArrTicora cyanoLeuca (Vieill.).
A young bird, shet January 27th, 1902, at San Luis.
25. ProGne FurcataA Baird.
Iris dark brown. San Luis, February 6th, 1902. This
Swallow flew very high and with great speed.
26. Mimus pvorsauis (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
Iris brown, according to the label, but stated to be “ pale
greenish ” in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. ‘ according to d’Orbigny.”
The only specimen observed was shot at San Luis,
January 29th, 1902.
27. Turpus ruscatus d’Orb. et Lafr.
San Luis, February 1902. Ivis brown.
28. EMBERNAGRA OLIVASCENS (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
A male specimen from San Luis, January 23rd, 1902.
Inis brown, bill orange.
29. SycaLis FLAVEOLA (Linn.).
A typical male specimen was shot at San Luis in January
1902. Mr. von Hofsten has labelled a bird shot at the
same place a little later (Kebruary 5th) as the female of
the same species, but it has considerably less yellow in its
plumage above than is stated in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.
vol. x11. Very similar to the latter are two young birds, not
im full plumage, shot at Tatarenda in April 1902.
Mr. von Hofsten informs me that Sycalis flaveola was
the most common bird at San Luis and Tarija. It places
its nest under the roof-tiles, in stone walls, and in similar
places. The eggs vary from 20 to 22 mm. in length and
their breadth is about 15mm. Their ground-colour is
whitish, sometimes with a slight tinge of greenish. They
are thickly and irregularly spotted with brown, sometimes
blackish, sometimes reddish. The spots are occasionally
coufluent and make large blotches near the larger end,
where they are more numerous. They often form a thick
broad ring of dark colour, Usually the whitish ground-
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. A457
colour is predominant, but in some specimens the brown
spots almost cover the egg, which in its general appearance
has a certain resemblance to that of Fringilla montifringilla.
30. Satrator Laticiavius Sclater & Salvin.
Male and female specimens from San Luis, shot January
26th, 1902. Iris brown. The specimens in question 1n
some respects approach S. aurantiirostris, for the measure-
ments are rather smaller than those recorded in Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. for S. daticlavius, but at the same time they
are larger than those of the former, namely, wing 96,
tail 98 mm. ‘The white marks on the outer rectrices are
very clear in both sexes. The male specimen has a well-
developed claw at the bend of’ the wing, which in the
female is only represented by a horny wart. As I have
ouly one example to hand I cannot decide whether this
peculiar claw is a normal occurrence in the males of the
species or not, but the matter is worth further investigation.
Concerning the nesting of this bird, sce above, p. 454,
under Siptornis orbignyi.
31. Motorurvus BonaRtEeNsIs (Gmelin).
An adult male from San Luis, January 1902. A young
bird in moult shot at the same place, February 28rd, 1902,
had partly assumed the shining black plumage of the adult.
This bird often accompanied the cattle and was seen sitting
on their backs, picking ticks and parasites from them.
The crops of our specimens were filled with ticks, so that
these seem to be the principal food.
32. Motorurvs Baprius (Vieillot).
A specimen from San Luis, shot January 25th, 1902,
Iris brown.
This species also accompanies the cattle in large flocks.
In addition to the birds already enumerated, the following
were observed at Tarija :—
Fulica gigantea. Tanagra bonariensis,
Pheenicopterus, sp. ine. Zonotrichia pileata sive cani-
Fi
Gyparchus papa. capilla,
Cathartes atratus.
SER. VIII.~—VOL. III. 2H
458 Dr. E. Lonnberg on Birds from
V. Bixps or TatrarenpAa AND Fortin Crevaux,
IN THE Bouivian CHAco.
The birds obtained by the Expedition at the fourth
Station (Tatarenda) and fifth (Fortin Crevaux) are enume-
rated together, as both these places are situated in the
Bolivian Chaco and are not very far apart. ‘Their natural
features have been described above.
]. Rua americana Lath.
This bird was often seen at 'Tatarenda in open places, but
as soon as danger threatened it ran in among the spiny
bushes, where it could not be pursued.
2. ORTALIS CANICOLLIS (Wagl.).
An adult specimen from Tatarenda, shot in April 1902.
Iris brown (“ gialla,” according to Salvadori).
A young bird, probably of this species, was shot at the
same place at the end of May 1902. It is stated to have
had brownish-yellow irides. The tail-feathers are not yet
visible among the coverts, but the quills of the wings are
almost fully developed, and the wings measure 210 mm. in
length. ‘The primaries are, however, not quite full-grown and
reach only a few millimetres beyond the inner secondaries.
The colour of the young bird is a little more brown than
that of the adult.
3. PrnELore opscura Wagler *.
Mr. von Hofsten informs me that this bird is known
under the name ‘ Pavo del monte,’ which it shares with
other Cracide. It lives in small family-flocks at the edge
of the forest. When scared it tries to escape from danger
by running along the branches of the trees or jumping from
branch to branch rather than by flight. It does not fly
well or easily.
* [Dr. Lonnberg has sent us for examination a skin of this Penelope,
which agrees well with specimens of P. obscwra in the British Museum
from the same district. He calls our attention to the sharply excised
outer primaries—a character stated in the B. M. Catalogue (xxii. p. 473)
to be peculiar to Pipile, Aburria, and Chamepetes, which, however, is
certainly not the case —Kpp.
N.W, Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco, 459
4, CoLuMBA MAcuLosa Temm.
In great flocks near water, Colonia Crevaux, in April 1902.
Iris greyish yellow (* bianca,” according to Salvadori).
5. CoLtumBa Picazuro Temm.
Near Colonia Crevaux, April 1902. Common in large
flocks. Iris light grey (stated to be ‘ rosso-fiamma” by
Salvadori, ¢. c.).
6. CoLtumBuLa Picur (Temm.).
In great flocks in the dry woods at Colonia Crevaux,
April 1902. Iris lilac.
7. PorpHyrioprs MELANOops (Vieill.).
Two specimens shot at Tatarenda, March 26th, 1902, agree
perfectly as regards coloration with the description in the
Cat. of Birds (xxii. p. 182) except that the inner secondaries
are not “edged externally with white,” but have the outer
web spotted and mottled with white. In addition to this [
may observe that the head does not shew the same colour as
the back, but the upper surface of the head from the base of
the bill and the frontal shield is quite black, while on the
occiput it becomes dark brown and soon passes into the
olive-brown of the hind-neck. The dark ashy colour of
the sides of the head extends upwards to the eyebrows.
The bill seems to have been olive-green.
+8. GALLINULA GALEATA Bp.
Tatarenda, March 25th, 1902. Length of wing 190 mm.
9, Fuxica LevcorTera Vieillot.
A young bird, with the frontal shield not much developed,
from Tatarenda, April 1902. The age may account for the
fact that the iris was yellow (not “ fiery red,” as stated in
Cat. Birds, vol. xxiii. p. 224).
10. PopicreEs AMERICANUS Garnot.
Tris crimson.
Two adult birds shot at Tatarenda in March 1902. Iris
yellow.
A young specimen, not yet full-grown, shot the same day
2H 2
460 Dr. E. Linnberg on Birds from
is smoky blackish above, washed with brown on the lower
back. Rump greyish brown. Under parts greyish white
with a faint silky gloss and some grey spots where the basal
parts of the down are visible. Neck grey, throat white,
sides of head grey, crown blackish with sandy-coloured tips
to the feathers.
11. Parra gacana (Linn.).
The iris is stated by Mr. von Hofsten to be “ brown”
in an adult as well as in a young bird, both shot at
Tatarenda, the former on April 26th, 1902, the latter on
March 27th, 1902. In the Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., as well as
by Salvadori, it is stated to be “ yellow.”
This species was common, and was seen in large flocks
on the floating water-plants.
12. VANELLUS CAYENNENSIS (Gm.).
Specimens were shot at Tatarenda and other places in
the Bolivian Chaco in March 1902.
In one example shot on March 3rd some of the rectrices
have just been moulted and have rather broad white tips,
but the old tail-feathers of the specimens have the white
tips almost or quite worn off. Sides of head ashy grey, but
washed with brown. The colour is somewhat intermediate
between that of V. cayennensis and V. chilensis ; the measure-
ments indicate partly the smaller form. The short wing and
short culmen indicate V. cayennensis, the rather long tail
and short tarsus V. chilensis. I suppose that these forms
intergrade.
13. Himanrorus MELANURUs Vieill.
A specimen was shot at a pool near Carapari, on the way
from Tarija to Caiza, in March 1902.
14. Bartramia Lonercaupa (Bechst.).
Tatarenda, April 1902.
15. ARamus scoLopaceus (Gmelin).
Tatarenda, March 20th, 1902. Iris brown.
Culmen 120, tarsus 130, wing 345, tail 162mm. These
measurements are larger than those recorded in the Cat. Birds
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 461
Brit. Mus., but the description in that work agrees with the
present specimen.
+16. Precapis cuarauna (Linn.).
An adult bird shot at Carapari, March 11th, 1902. Iris
hazel.
A young bird from Tatarenda, March 20th, 1902.
This species oecurred in flocks on the wet meadows.
Mr. von Hofsten says that he thinks that there must be two
kinds of this Ibis, as he remembers that he always saw larger
birds in one flock and smaller birds in another, The differ-
ences in the skins that I have examined are, however, not
greater than those recorded for young and adult or male
and female birds in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds.’
17. THERISTICUS MELANOPIS (Gm.).
A specimen shot at Tatarenda, March 23rd, 1902 (iris
reddish yellow, feet red), has the coloration of the plumage
as described in the Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., but the subterminal
black band of the dorsal feathers is only faintly visible. ‘Two
or three of the inner secondaries are white on the outer web.
+18. Pratauza ssasa (Linn.).
Iris yellowish white, according the label (according to
Salvadori “ iride bruna,” and according to the Cat. of Birds
bright carmine). Length of wing 390, of tail 106, of culmen
180 mm.; these measurements are all larger than those
indicated in the Cat. of Birds. The tarsus measures 108 mm.,
which is the same as in the work just quoted.
The Roseate Spoonbill is common at the borders of all
the waters. A specimen was shot at Tatarenda, April 3rd,
1902. This species lives in pairs and is very shy.
19. MoLyBpoPHaNEs CHRULESCENS (Vieill.).
Occurs in large flocks along the river, but is very shy.
Iris light yellow, legs black. April 1902, Fortin Crevaux.
~-20. Arpea cocor Linn.
Iris yellow; legs yellow, according to the label (said to
be “‘ grigio-bruna ” by Salvadori, Boll. Tor. x. p. 21). Only
one specimen seen and shot, April 1902, at Tatarenda.
4.62 Dr. E. Lonnberg on Birds from
“21. Heropras EGRETtA (Wilson).
Single specimens were seen here and there on swamps and
rivers, but they were very shy. A specimen was shot at
Colonia Crevaux, in April 1902.
22. Nycricorax Tayazueuira (Vieill.).
March 26th, 1902; Tatarenda. Iris yellow.
A young bird in transitional plumage, probably belonging
to this species, was shot at Tatarenda in March.
23. SyRIGMA CYANOCEPHALUM (Molina).
Two specimens from Tatarenda. Both have the feathers
of the nuchal crest tipped with isabelline or the same colour
as the feathers of the neck. ‘The crown is very dark slate-
coloured, inclining to black with a bluish-grey tinge. Iris
steel-grey. The bill seems to have been red, with black
tip. Length of the tarsus in one specimen 85, in the other
90 mm. Otherwise both agree with the description and
the measurements in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. A
This bird, found in pairs at the lakes, seems to be new
to Bolivia.
24. TiGRISOMA MARMORATUM (Vieill.).
A young specimen (iris brown) shot at Tatarenda on
March 24, 1902, seems to belong to this species. Crown
chestnut, with V-shaped black spots. Neck tawny, almost
chestnut behind, lighter on the sides, with black trans-
verse bars. Sides of head tawny, with blackish streaks.
Middle of throat clothed with white feathers, with small
buff and brown spots. Feathers of fore-neck white, with a
transverse blackish bar, bordered on both sides with tawny.
On the breast there are several bars on each feather. In
other respects the coloration resembles that of the young
Tiger- Bittern as described in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.
25. HrTEROCNUS BOLIVIANUS, 0. Sp.
his bird resembles Tigrisoma as well as Helerocnus in
coloration. That it belongs to the latter genus, however,
is proved by the fact that a median feather-stripe is
continued on the throat almost to the vertical through
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 4.63
the posterior end of the culmen, and thus a good deal in
front of the eye. General colour of the mantle and the
wing-coverts dark, almost blackish grey, with a rather
strong greenish-olive tinge in some lights. All feathers
with a black median shaft-line, and finely mottled with
numerous minute dots of yellowish, more ochraceous
on the mantle, more whitish on the wing-coverts. This
same mottling and general colour extends also over the
scapulars and the outer web of the proximal secondaries.
Secondaries otherwise dark slaty, with a _ brownish
tinge on the outer edges. Primaries darker slaty with a
bluish tinge, and fringed with white at the tips. Bastard-
wing and large primary-coverts similar (but without any
white bars as in Heterocnus cabanisi). Bend of the wing
white, with a buffy tinge and with brown spots on the inner
web of the feather. Crown of the head black ; occipital
crest chestnut-red, with black tips to some of the feathers.
The whole of the amply-frilled hind-neck and sides of
the neck uniform chestnut-red. Lores and orbits naked,
a narrow black stripe separating the bare area from the
chestnut-red ear-coverts and sides of the nape. This black
band extends down the sides of the bare throat, but is there
streaked with white. A white feather-band extends forward
in the middle of the otherwise bare throat, as has been stated
above. ‘This white stripe continues down the middle of the
fore-neck, bordered on each side by the narrow black band ;
further down it becomes broadly spotted with brown and
black. Thus the middle of the fore-neck has a brown-and-
black central band bordered on each side by a white band,
and that again by a narrow black stripe separated from the
chestnut-red sides of the neck. The lowermost part of
the fore-neck is more irregularly and broadly spotted or
rather striped with black, white, and chestnut. Breast
slaty grey, with a rufous tinge on the ends of the feathers.
Abdomen light, and under tai-coverts dusky cinereous.
Flanks and axiilaries dark slaty, with narrow white wavy
cross - bands. | Under wing-coverts similar, except the
smallest, which have the same coloration as the upper
A464 Dr. E. Lonnberg on Birds from
lesser wing-coverts. Back and upper tail-coverts dark
slaty grey. 'ail-feathers dark slaty, with an olive-green
tinge. Iris brown. Bill in a dry state black, except the
lower side, which is light horn-coloured. Culmen 108,
wing 355 (360), tail 148, tarsus 110 mm.
From Heterocnus cabanisi this species is easily distinguished
by its different coloration. The back is not marked with
wavy cross-lines, but minutely dotted; the ear-coverts are
not slaty blue, but chestnut-red; the nape and hind-neck
are not sandy buff barred with black, but uniform chestnut-
red.
The specimen was obtained at Tatarenda on March 20,
1902.
+26. Tanratus tocutator Linn.
A specimen (of rather small dimensions) was shot at
Tatarenda in April 1902.
Tantalus is said by the collector to occur singly here and
there on the small swamps. Ata place between Tarija and
vaiza, however, it was s in larg ks, soaring very
Caiza, however, it was seen in large flocks, soaring
ugh in the air. Is Sal ery s run a long
high in the air. It is said to be very shy, and to run a long
way before it rises.
27. Evxenvura MaGuari (Gm.).
Three specimens were scen and shot at a swamp near
Tatarenda. They made a clattering noise with their bills,
like the European Stork.
|-98. Mycrreria aMERIcANA Linn.
The Jabiru was seen at Fortin Crevaux, but was very shy,
and Mr. von Hofsten could not get near it.
29, CHAUNA cRISTATA (Sw.).
Several specimens of this bird were shot at Tatarenda in
March 1902. It lives in pairs on the swamps and rivers.
30. CHENALOPEX JUBATUs (Spix).
One specimen was observed and shot at Tatarenda. The
conjecture that this species would occur in Bolivia is thus
proved to be correct. The feet are red.
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 4.65
#31. Catrina moscuata (Linn.).
Two young birds obtained at Tatarenda. Iris brown.
32. NETTION BRASILIENSE (Gm.).
Tatarenda, March 29th, 1902.
33. Nerrion rorquatum (Vieillot).
Tatarenda, March 19th and April 1902.
Some uncertainty seems to have prevailed as to whether
this bird belonged to the Bolivian fauna or not.
+34. Nomonyx pominicus (Linn.).
Only one specimen observed, at Tatarenda, in April 1902.
+35. GERANOSPIZIAS CERULESCENS (Vieill.).
Iris brownish yellow. Tatarenda, March 30th, 1902.
7 36. Micrastur semirorquatus (Vieill.).
A young bird, which quite agrees with the description in
the Cat. of Birds, was shot at Tatarenda on the 24th of
March, 1902.
37. Urusitinca unicincra (Temm.).
Colonia Crevaux, April 1902.
38. ACCIPITER PILEATUS (Temm.).
A young bird from Tatarenda, March 1902.
39. Burro rryrHRonotus (King).
An adult, but not very old female, was shot at Tatarenda
in March ]902.
740. HerrrospiziAs MERIDIONALIS (Lath.).
An adult specimen was shot at Tatarenda on March 2lst,
1902. The species is stated to be common.
41. ASTURINA PUCHERANI Verr.
Iris brown in a young specimen, yellow in an adult.
Both were shot at Tatarenda in March 1902.
A third (young) specimen was shot at Aguairenda.
+42. Gampsonyx swWatnsont (Vigors).
Colonia Crevaux, April 1902. Iris reddish yellow.
43. TINNUNCULUS CINNAMOMIMUS (Swains.),
An adult male from Tatarenda, April 1902.
466 Dr. E. Lonnberg on Birds from
44, Bupo vircintanus (Gm.).
Only one specimen, shot at Colonia Crevaux in April
1902.
45, SPEoTyTo CUNICULARIA (Molina).
This Owl was observed sitting in bushes on the grassy
plains looking out for small birds and mice, which constitute
its principal food. It was plainly diurnal.
Specimens shot at Tatarenda, in March and April 1902,
have the length of wing 183-186 mm. Under surface of
wing, including the wing-coverts, entirely white with a
very faint isabelline tinge, and a few of the outer large
coverts with dusky tips, together forming a dark band.
The inner webs of the secondaries almost entirely white. The
outermost tail-feather dusky white throughout, except for
two dusky spots on the outer web; the rest have the whole
inner web white, the bars being confined to the outer web.
On the third and fourth the dark bars cross over the inner
web also, but are much narrower and less well-defined on
the inner web, the ground-colour of which is white. The
specimens from this station were accordingly decidedly lighter
than the specimens from Moreno (see above, p. 448), which
had all the tail-feathers, including the outermost, barred
across both webs, although on a white ground-colour.
I regard the Owl from Moreno as identical with the
typical Strix cunicularia from Chile. All other known
varieties of Speolyto are darker than the Chilian form * ;
but, on the other hand, as the Burrowing-Owls of the
Bolivian Chaco are still lighter than the Chilian, they might
be regarded as representing a geographical variety or sub-
species.
The size of the Bolivian Owl is comparatively large,
as is alsoithat of the Chilian.
-46. SYRNIUM PERSPICILLATUM (Latham).
A specimen shot at Tatarenda, March 2$th, 1902. Iris
yellow.
* Cf. Stone, “On a Collection of Birds .... with a Review of the
South-American Species of Speotyto and T'roglodytes,” Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Philadelphia, 1899.
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 467
47. Conurts acuticaupatus (Vieillot).
In flocks near the water. March 13th-15th, 1902, Tata-
renda, Caiza. Iris yellowish brown.
48. Conurus LeucoputTuatMus (Miill.).
In small flocks, less common than the foregoing. March
17th, 1902, Tatarenda. Iris yellowish brown.
49. Pyrruura MoLIN»” (Mass. et Souancé).
Iris brown. March 20th, 1902, Tatarenda. Occurs in
large flocks.
50. Myropsrrracus Monacuus (Bodd.).
Occurs in small flocks numbering about eight or ten.
Two specimens were shot at San Diego on our way to the
Bolivian Chaco, March 21st, 1902. Iris greyish brown.
51. Curysotis astiva (Linn.).
Iris reddish yellow. Occurs in large flocks of several
hundreds, but is very shy. In the morning and evening
they fly to and from their feeding-places, making a deafening
noise. March 17th, Tatarenda; April 1902, Colonia Crevaux.
Not mentioned by Salvadori and believed to be new to
Bolivia.
52. Pronus Bripcest Boucard.
Feathers of the head green with dark violet, almost
blackish, edges. Lores black. On the hind part of the
crown and on the occiput the cinereous bases of the feathers
are broadly conspicuous. On the throat the edges of the
feathers are more broadly coloured with purple or violet.
A broad band across the fore-neck purple or violet. Back
and wing-coverts olive-green with a slight golden gloss.
Tail below green, with a bluish shade. Wing 197,
tail 93 mm. Iris reddish yellow.
This specimen was shot by Count E. von Rosen at
Tatarenda, April 1902.
53. CapriMuLGus ParvuLus Gould.
Tatarenda, April 3rd, 1902. [ris brown.
54. Popacer nacunpa (Vieillot),
This large Goatsucker was seen in small flocks flying
4.68 Dr. E. Liénnberg on Birds from -
about in broad daylight near a rivulet, and squatting on the
sandy ground at Tatarenda.
55. CHLOROSTILBON AUREIVENTRIS (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
Specimens were obtained at Tatarenda in April 1902.
+56. CroropHaGa ANI Linn.
A specimen in moult was shot in April 1902 at Tatarenda.
The new feathers are strongly metallic and glossy, the old
are not.
This bird occurred in small flocks of from ten to fifteen
in number, and was very shy.
57. Bucco striatipectus Sclater.
Tatarenda; several specimens shot in April 1902. Iris
whitish yellow.
58. Ruampnastus troco Miill.
Iris brown, as stated on the labels of all three specimens
preserved (but according to Salvadori, /. c., it is ‘‘ gialla”’).
Two adult specimens were shot in April at Tatarenda, and
a young one at Zapatero on the 10th of March, 1902.
399, DrenpRosates oLivinus (Malh.).
Two female specimens shot at Tatarenda in April 1902.
Iris brown according to the label (stated to be “rossa” by
Salvadori).
60. Drenprocorus mixtus (Bodd.).
A female, the only one observed, was shot at Colonia
Crevaux. ‘The upper surface of the head is uniform dark
brown, becoming almost black on the occiput, without any
light spot. The feathers of the forehead are lighter brown
with buffish shaft-stripes. In some respects this specimen
seems to approach D. cancellatus.
61. Curysopritus cristarus (Vieill.).
A specimen was shot at Colonia Crevaux in April 1902.
62. CAMPOPHILUS LEUCOPOGON (Valenc.).
Male and female specimens from Tatarenda, March 1902.
In its habits this species resembles the European Black
Woodpecker (Picus martius) and it emits a similar sound.
=m
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 469
63. THAMNOPHILUS MAJor Vieill.
A male specimen, the only one observed, was shot at
Tatarenda. Although otherwise agreeing with the description
in the Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., it is distinguished by its remark-
ably long tail, which measures 90 mm.
64. XipHOcOLAPTES MAJOR (Vieill.).
Tatarenda, April 1902. The belly of this specimen is
quite unspotted. It is met with only in the palm-woods
and resembles a Woodpecker in flight and habits. It has a
sharp whistling note.
65. TaN1oPprera 1RUPERO (Vieill.).
Several specimens were procured at Tatarenda in March
and April, and at Pilcomaya in April 1902.
This bird usually sits at the top of a tree that stands alone
in some open place. Now and then it is seen to fly up in the
air and catch some passing insect, but it always returns to
the same twig. It is not impossible that the white colour of
the plumage of this bird may attract insects in the same way
that the yellow throat of Merops apiaster (which the author
has watched in Transcaucasia) gives one the impression of a
yellow flower, when the bird sits on the ground,
66. Macuerrornis rrxosa Vieillot.
Tatarenda, March 21st, 1902.
67. Empipacra suirirti (Vieillot).
Specimens from Fortin Crevaux and Tatarenda, April
1902.
68. PyrocePHALUS RUBINEUS (Bodd.).
Tatarenda, April 1902.
+69. MyIARcHUs TYRANNULUs P. L. S. Mull.
Tatarenda, April 1902.
70. EmpipoNoMUS AURANTIO-ATRO-CRISTATUS (d’Orb. et
Lafr.).
Tatarenda, April 1902.
71. Prraneus Bouivianus (Lafr.).
A young specimen from Fortin Crevaux, shot in April 1902,
470 Dr. E. Lononberg on Birds from
has no yellow on the crown, and shews well-developed rufous
margins to the wing- and tail-feathers. The measurements
indicate that it belongs to the larger southern species.
This bird was usually seen near water and had the manners
of a Flycatcher. Not common.
=72. Mytopynastes sorirartus (Vieill.).
Only one specimen observed and shot at Tatarenda,
April 1902.
473. Mizvutus tyrannus (Linn.),
Tatarenda, April Ist, 1902.
A male in much-worn plumage and a young bird with the
wing-coverts edged with pale rufous, the yellow of the cap
pale and only slightly developed. The most remarkable
feature is, however, that the primaries are not yet excised,
and that on the left wing the inner web of the outer prima-
ries is somewhat broader than on the right.
When flying Milvulus opens and shuts its tail, making
movements like a pair of scissors,
74. STELGIDOPTERYX RUFICOLLIS (Vieillot).
Tatarenda, April 1902. Only seen among the palms.
75. Minus trivrvs Vieill.
Iris brown. Tatarenda, April 1902.
76. PaRuLa PITIaAyuMI (Vieill.).
Tatarenda, April Ist, 1902.
77. GrorHiyPis vetata (Vieill.).
A specimen from Fortin Crevaux, April 1902.
78. SYcALIS FLAVEOLA (Linn.).
Two young birds, not yet fully grown, were shot at
Tatarenda in April 1902.
79. Poospiza HypocHonpR14cA (d’Orb. et Lafr.).
I consider a young bird, not yet fully grown, shot at
Colonia Crevaux, to belong to this species. It was the only
specimen of the kind observed.
N.W. Argentina and the Bolivian Chaco. 471
80. CoryPHOsPINGUS CRISTATUS (Gm.).
Two male specimens in moult were obtained at Tatarenda,
April 1902.
81. Paroaria cucuLiata (Lath.).
Two young specimens from Colonia Crevaux. These
birds are said to occur in large flocks along the reed-beds on
the river.
82. Gurraca ARGENTINA Sharpe.
A bird shot at Tatarenda in April 1902 I regard as a
female specimen of this species, or, rather, subspecies.
83. TANAGRA CYANOPTERA (Vieill.).
Rather common, but very shy; lives in open places in
the forest or at the edge of the woods.
84. TANAGRA BONARIENSIS (Gm.).
Specimens were collected at Fortin Crevaux in April 1902,
and others observed at Tarija, Bolivia. This bird occurs here
and there in couples along the edge of rivers.
85. PyRANGA TESTACEA Sclater & Salvin.
Only one specimen, observed and shot at Colonia Crevaux
in April 1902.
86. Mo orurus Baptvus (Vieill.).
Only one specimen, shot at Colonia Crevaux in April
1902.
87. Icrerus pyRRHOPTERUS (Vieill.).
Tatarenda, April 1902. In large flocks on the maize-
fields.
88. CyaNnocorax cHrysoprs (Vieill.).
Tatarenda, April 1902. This bird resembles the common
European Magpie in its habits. It emits various sounds,
mimics other birds, and when flying in flocks produces a
deafening noise. Usually eight or ten individuals are seen
together. It is common near houses, in orange-groves, and
other similar places.
472 Dr. E. A. Goeldi— Ornithological Results
XXXVIII.—Ornithological Results of an Expedition up the
Capim River, State of Pard, with Critical Remarks on the
Cracidee of Lower Amazonia. By Dr. Emit A. Gortnt,
H.M.B.O.U., C.M.Z.S., Director of the Paré Museum.
CoNTENTS. |
age
is Introductory dkemarks = 521%). .c.nes oe 472
Ii, Narrative ot the: Joumey ©. .\......00+8 oe 475
III. List of the Birds of the River Capim ...... 497
I. Intropucrory Remarks.
Tue Capim River, the mouth of which is near the city of Para,
behind the ‘‘ Arsenal Go Marinha,” is the last considerable
affluent on the right side of the Amazon. It was important
in past times in the history of Portuguese colonization on
the Amazonian estuary and relatively well known in former
centuries, but has been nearly forgotten in our days and
has remained practically unexplored from a scientific stand-
point. The examination of this river would thus naturally
form for the Par&é Museum an object of particular interest
and earnest attention. An expedition with this purpose was
organized in June and July 1897; a zoologist, a botanist,
and two taxidermists of the Museum’s staff forming the ex-
ploring corps, which, assisted by some important proprietors
on the lower course of the river, planned to advance, by a
steam-launch, as far as possible towards the headwaters and,
depth allowing, to enter one or more of them, thence to
return slowly in canoes brought up for the purpose.
A sketch of our itinerary, principally dealing with the
geographical results, has already been published in a German
periodical *. But our map, our natural history, and our
ethnographical results, are only now approaching com-
pletion. The scientific results, as a whole, will probably
form one of the next “ Memorias do Museu,” and it may be
stated that the large amount of illustrative material is the
principal reason of the slow progress of our work. I now
* Goeldi, E. A., “ Vorliufige Mitteilung iiber eine Forschungsreise
nach dem Oberlauf des Rio Capim, Staat Para,” Petermann’s Geogr.
Mitteil. vol. xliv. 1898, pp. 56-40.
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 473
Text-fig. 15.
THE RIO CAPIM
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STATE or PARA
(1:2 800000)
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Map of the Rio Capim.
SER. VIII.—VOL, III. 21
A7 4: Dr. E. A. Goeldi—Ornithological Results
propose to offer to our dear ‘ Ibis” the ornithological part of
these results as a ‘‘ primeur.”
The Capim River, so far as we knew, had never been
visited by a naturalist before, excepting by Aifred Russel
Wallace, who made an excursion there in June 1849. He
wrote about his journey in chapter v. of his interesting
book, ‘Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro’*. The
ornithological results of his visit were worked out and
published by Sclater and Salvin in the ‘ Proceedings of the
Zoological Society of London,’ 18677, in their “ List of
Birds collected by Mr. Wallace on the Lower Amazon and
Rio Negro.”
Wallace fixed his headquarters at Fazenda Calixto, a
formerly important, but now entirely decadent, agricultural
property, near the village of Sta. Anna do Capim. I am
always interested in investigating the circumstances of
Wallace’s visit. Among our boatmen we had descendants
in the first and second degree of Senhor Calixto, whose
opulence is described and whose hospitality is praised in the
above-cited book in warm terms. But these descendants
were in very poor circumstances—perhaps not much superior
to those of the most humble employés of Senhor Calixto of
Wallace’s time. ‘ Tempora mutantur!” I often thought—
« What would Wallace say if he could meet with the sons and
grandsons of his host among the day-labourers, satisfied to
be enlisted as boatmen?” The Fazenda Calixto is now
totally ruined.
Wallace did not pass beyond what we call the lower course
of the Capim River, so it is of no use to compare his itinerary
in 1849 with ours in 1897. Where he finished was just at the
beginning of our expedition. Even his mention of the smallest
affluent, ‘about half-a-day’s journey further up the river”
(op. cit. p. 86), which he gives as the limit of his most
extended excursion, does not alter this. It was probably the
Tgarapé Carata-teua; the next right-hand tributary, the
Igarapé Jaboty-maior, being too far off from I'azenda Calixto
* New edition, 1889, pp. 77-92. First edition, 1853.
+ P. Z. 8. 1867. pp. 566-596.
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 475
to have heen reached in half-a-day’s paddling. But in
Wallace’s time the Tembé and Turyudras Indians had their
“malécas” considerably lower down the river than at present,
and it was easier to reach them than it is now.
Dr. Sclater calls the river Capim “a small river issuing
into the Rio Pard, near the city of Paré” (op. cit. p. 567).
This is quite a mistake, as the Capim River, which
measures fully a kilometre in breadth at its mouth, and not
less than from 50 to 60 metres at Poco Real and the waterfalls
near Acaryugaua in lat. 35° S., and is, moreover, navigable
during many weeks for steamers, ought not to be classed as
an unimportant and inconsiderable stream. But compared
with some others of the great tributaries of the Amazon
such as the Tecantins, Xingu, and Tapajoz, the Capim River
certainly plays a secondary part.
I have done all in my power to give a complete sketch of
the bird-life on the Capim River, beginning from the results
of Wallace’s visit in 1849. This may be allowed to be a useful
attempt to form a special and somewhat elaborate picture of
the ornithological features of a circumscribed portion of the
interior of the State of Para, but will be still more useful,
I agree, in the case of its being followed by a series of
similar sketches of other localities constructed on the
same principle.
It is an agreeable duty to me to state again that the
constant help which I have had from Dr. Sclater, whose -
never-ceasing interest in the Neotropical Avifauna is
evidenced by a whole series of monumental works, shews
that he does not feel the trouble which I am always causing
him by my requests for the determination and identification
of bird-skins, the comparison of which with type-specimens
seems to me to be indispensable for careful work.
Il. Narrative OF THE JOURNEY.
Embarking at Pard at 7.15 a.m.on the 15th of June, 1897,
in fine weather, on the steam-launch ‘ Lauro Sadré,’ usually
engaged on the Immigration Service and lent to me by the
Government, we traversed the distance to Fazenda Approaga
212
476 Dr. E. A. Goeldi—Ornithological Results
in nine hours, a very good performance, due to an efficacious
full-moon tide, as ordinarily the steamers take twelve hours.
At Sio Domingos we passed a spot interesting as shewing in
a most striking manner the corroding action of a ‘ pororéca”’
(bore) on the earth-wall of the river; it is situated just at
the confluence of the rivers Guamé and Capim. We reached,
at 1.40 p.m., Approaga, formerly a very important agri-
cultural domain, belonging to our hospitable friends the
family Vicente Chermont de Miranda. It is situated on the
Capim some hours journey higher up, being separated from
the small village of St. Anna do Capim by about the same
distance—that is, more or less, an hour’s journey—as the
Fazenda Calixto, where Mr. Wallace stayed in 1849, further
up the river. We arrived between 4 and 5 p.m., and sent
back our steam-launch to Parad the same evening.
During this first day’s course few zoological observations
of any importance were made, for reasons easily understood.
In the forests on the left and on the right bank animal-life
is the same as elsewhere in the vicinity of Parad under
similar circumstances. But during the hot hours of the day
there is naturally very little chance of getting even a glance
at animal or vegetable life, which is hidden from human
eyes by the silent shade of the virgin forest. Animal life is
certainly not absent, but is latent during these hours, and, if
its presence is to be ascertained, requires to be searched for
patiently. This is the reason that the mere tourist generally
gets a rather meagre idea of the celebrated luxuriance of
animal life in equatorial regions—an idea that I have often
found apt to induce a want of belief in the veracity of the
brilliant sketches of tropical nature contained in the works
of some of our best authors. To understand an equatorial
fauna and to know how to investigate it need some training.
The first bird we saw on this occasion was a large bird-of-
prey deseribing magnificent circles in the height above us,
which was easily recognised as Urubitinga schistacea. Soon
afterwards we saw two other specimens at the same time
acting in a similar manner, evidently in reconnaissance of
some dainty bit for breakfast. This was about 9 o’clock.
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 477
Among the lower vegetation of the banks we noted from
time to time the Hoatzin (Opisthocomus cristatus), stupidly
frightened and flying heavily into more sheltered quarters.
It is acommon bird all along the Lower Capim, being met
with in flocks of from ten to twenty or more. It feeds here-
abouts especially on “ Anhinga”? (Montrichardia arborescens),
a large Caladium-like aroid, and on ‘“ Aturié” (Drepano-
carpus lunulatus),a low bush of the family Leguminosz, with
recurved stinging-sptnes all over its branches and involved,
flat, siliculous fruits. Once we saw a flock of four Muscovy
Ducks (Cairina moschata) crossing the river.
When we arrived at Approaga the black cook of the
fazenda, who had been sent out shooting in the forest,
brought home, besides a “ Cutia” (Dasyprocta croconota),
a good specimen of the Red Arira (dra macao).. This I was
inclined to take for a good omen, as these birds are getting
rare inthe neighbourhood of the city of Paré.
Approaga is certainly the most important agricultural
station on the River Capim. It is pleasantly situated on the
border of the river to the right, on a somewhat elevated spot,
which is rendered necessary by the “ pororéca.”
A large white house connected with a lower mass of
farm-factory buildings, the whole rendered visible far off on
the riverside by four old and tall royal palms (Oreodova
oleracea) and the long chimney of the engine, gives to the
domain an aspect imposing as well as agreeable. Coming
nearer you will soon understand that it is a ‘ Feudum,”
suddenly interrupted in the course of prosperity, like
thousands of similar fazendas all over the former Brazilian
empire, by the suspension of slavery. Externally and
internally signs of the rapid cessation of a former activity
are seen at every step. It has evidently been one of those
important possessions which were still in a prosperous
condition when Wallace visited the region about the middle
of the last century.
Around the fazenda there is a cleared space, already
covered by a tolerably high weed-vegetation. Some negro
familics inhabiting a series of dilapidated cottages behind
478 Dr. E. A. Goeldi— Ornithological Resulis
the central buildings seem to be equally afraid of strangers
and of work. I obtained there, as well as on many other
similar occasions, a very unfavourable idea of these relies of
the slavery period, They are generally too lazy for anything
except rum-drinking. I received the impression that the
moral level among the coloured element on the river Capim
is at present lower than that of the free and independent
Indians on the headwaters.
Approaga was our headquarters on the Lower Capim.
Here, most hospitably treated by Civil-Engineer Siir. Vicente
Chermont do Miranda, who had come out from Para especially
for the purpose, and by Major Ayres, his Administrator, we
lived, from the 15th to the 24th of June, hunting, collecting,
and preparing ourselves for the expedition to the headwaters
of the river.
During these nine days I had an opportunity of acquiring
a general notion of the ornithological features of the district,
so near to that visited forty-eight years before by Wallace.
On the very first evening my attention was called toa colony
of from twenty to thirty examples of Cassicus persicus,
with their hanging nests distributed over three “pao d’arco ”
of moderate height. The birds were building at this season,
using, as the people told me, both dry grass and split palm-
leaves. I was also told that the “Ardras” (Macaws) had
young at the time. In the palm-trees in front of the fazenda
was a continuous movement of glittering Tanagers (Tanagra
palmarum) and other Passerine birds. The small and never
_quiet Wren (Troglodytes musculus) was always to be found
busy on the roof of the house, and also in the vast arched
basement and in the empty engine-rooms. On the bridge
of the landing-place was a favourite resting-corner of some
graceful Swallows, particularly Tachycineta albiventris ;
various Kingfishers passed up and down the river, the large
Ceryle torquata being easily recognised by its size and its
penetrating war-cry. From the nearer forests behind the
fazenda and on the opposite side of the river we frequently
heard the melodious whistling of the White-breasted Toucan
(Rhamphastus erythrorhynchus), the deafening noise made
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 479
by various Parrots, among them especially the “ Curica”
(Chrysotis amazonica) and the monosyllabic soft song of the
“Tnambu-relojo” (Crypturus strigulosus), comparable to an
elongated “fa” (in the same pitch as the second note of the
dissyllabic song of Diplopterus nevius).
On the 16th of June my attention was principally directed
to observation of the “‘pororéca,” which was expected at
3.10 Pe.m. I made several photographs of it, but it was not so
marked as two days before, the wave attaining a height of only
one metre. The ornithological increase of our collections con-
sisted only of a specimen of Geotrygon montana and a small
Tyrant-bird. On the 17th of June the results were more
considerable :—Troglodytes musculus, Todirostrum cinereum,
Cassicus persicus, Geotrygon montana, Thryothorus genibarbis,
Chloronerpes flavigula, Bucco hyperrhynchus, Penelope super-
cilaris, and Monasa nigra.
Karly that morning I made a trip to a small artificial lake,
formerly the reservoir for the farm-factory. In the tangled
vegetation of its borders I immediately recognised a bird’s
ery, well known to me in Para, especially in the swampy
parts of the forest, where it is called “Igapé.” This ery is
heard everywhere in similar localities so regularly that I
named it the ‘‘ Igapé-cryer.” The birdis by no means easily
discovered, but I know it to be Thryothorus genibarbis
(Swainson’s Moustached Wren). Approaching the negroes’
cottages, I noted in the higher trees many Tanagrine forms
(Tanagra palmarum, Rhamphocelus jacapa, Calliste) and
smaller Fringillines (Spermophila), which formed perhaps
four-fifths of the bird-flocks here met with. Among the lower
shrubs were quietly climbing dark-coloured Formicarians
(Thamnophilus) with several species of Synallazis, only seen
for a moment, and always disappearing before they could be
shot. Parrakeets cried in the forests, coming and going in
rapidly-flying flocks, always disposed to discussion and noise,
I was told that the Ardiras were fond of the flowers of the
Acapu-tree (Andira aubletit), which furnishes a wonderfuily
hard, dark, and alinost indestructible wood, used on a large
scale in Pard, and formerly often exported from the Capim
480 Dr. E. A. Goeldi—Ornithological Results
and Acara Rivers. Along the river flew charming Swallows
(Tachycineta albiventris and Atticora fasciata), while around
the buildings flitted Progne tapera. The “Tangurt-paré ”
(Monasa) was indefatigable in producing its strange song in
the Genipap6-tree near the windows of the dining-room.
Having now had many opportunities of studying this song, 1
may remark that the “ ho-tiu,” as described in my ‘ Ornitho-
logical Results of a Visit to South Guiana” (‘ Ibis,’ 1897,
p. 158), is only the initial prelude. The song then changes
into a more energetic ‘‘ hiri-turi, huri-turi,’ uttered with
increasing rapidity, aud finishes with a sound like “ ¢a/-é7/,”
frequently repeated, representing the acme of ecstasy.
It is evidently the effect of a mutual suggestion, as these
mysterious birds are decidediy social, and generally meet in
flocks of half-a-dozen or so.
On the same day I myself shot specimens of Huphonia
violacea, Progne tapera, Volatinia jacarini, Tachyphonus
melaleucus, and of a large strong-billed Fringilline bird.
Among the flowering shrubs behind the factory I observed
Hylocharis sapphirina and another Humming-bird with
whitish vent ; in the trees around the buildings were Tanagra
episcopus and several kinds of small yellowish and greyish
Tyrannids. This most confusing group, which is developed
in the Neotropical Avifauna in strange abundance, forms
a real ‘crux’? on account of the deceptive similarity of its
various forms and the absence of any really striking external
characters. We may fairly say that we know almost nothing
- about this family, which is the New World equivalent for
the Old World Muscicapide, and contains more than 400
species, of which at least 112 are found within the Amazonian
subregion.
Both at morning and evening are heard in the river-forests
the calls of the “ Saractra” (Aramides chiricote) and of two
species of Tinamou— Crypturus strigulosus (‘ Inambi-
relogio”) and C. pileatus (“Sururina”). My hunters
brought me specimens of Selenidera gouldi, Crypturus varie-
gatus (“Inambu-saracuira”’), Monasa nigra, Ortalis aracuan,
aud of a young “ Arapapa” (Cancroma cochlearia).
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 481
On June 19th I included in my collections Thryothorus
genibarbis (“Igapd-cryer”’), a female Pipra, probably be-
longing to P. leucocilla, and a species of Thamnophilus.
I had also occasion to observe Coturniculus manimbe and
Cereba cyanea.
On Sunday, June 20th, during a walk in the forest, I
saw plenty of Black-and-white Mannikins (Chiromacheris
manacus) and constantly heard their strident penetrating
“br-r-r-r”? around me. The males, however, seem par-
ticularly timorous. We obtained examples of Fuphonia
violacea, Brotogerys tuipara, Chelidoptera tenebrosa, Columba
plumbea (here called ‘‘ Pomba gallega”’), and Rhamphastus
ariel. The beautifully orange-marked Brotogerys tuipara
was observed opening the fruits of a gigantic Mongtiba-tree
(Bombax monguba) in search of the seeds, and its crop
was filled with masses of the substance thence procured.
The same predilection for Mongtba-seeds I had already
observed several times in Paré.
On June 21st, in the same direction, I again noted Chiro-
macheris manacus (still very timorous), Monasa nigra,
Synallaxis rutilans, and along the river Ceryle torquata and
C. americana.
Around Approaga were normally to be seen some five
or six individuals of the Yellow-headed Raven-Vulture
(Cathartes urubitinga), and often an equal number of
common Black Raven-Vultures (Cathartes urubu). I added
to our collection Chamepelia passerina, Piaya cayana (here
called ‘“ Chincoa”), Rhamphastus ariel, Falco rufigularis,
and Columba speciosa.
On June 23rd, during the night (9.10 p.m.), I heard dis-
tinctly the characteristic ery of the “ Uru” (Odontophorus
guianensis) from the forest on the left bank of the river,
and also, at dusk and afterwards, the not less loud, but less
harmonious, call of the “Aracua” (Ortalis aracuan).
The small Finches Spermophila gutturalis and 8. hypoleuca
constantly sang on the higher branches of the trees around
the buildings. For the first time I saw this morning four
of the smaller “Anus” (Crotophaga ani) crossing the river
482 Dr. E. A. Goeldi— Ornithological Results
from left to right. In the shady gallery under the house
I captured a living specimen of Pipra auricapilla, 8, a
charming black-and-crimson-headed little bird, which had
ventured to visit this spot.
On June 23rd our steam-launch, the ‘ Ondina,’ arrived
at might, too late to depart till next day.
From the 24th to the 30th of June we were steaming up the
river on board our strong and comfortable launch, stopping
only during part of the night, when complete darkness did
vot permit our going forward without risk. The first
day we arrived at Sitio Sad Luiz, the private property of
Major Ayres, our guide; the second at “ Cupij6-tapéra,” an
old settlement of Tembé Indians, now abandoned. In my
notebook I find the following entries referring to ornitho-
logical observations made on board :—Tachycineta albiventris,
Ardea virescens, Calidris arenaria, Urubitinga zonura, Milvayo
chimachima, Cathartes urubu, Ceryle torquata and C. ame-
ricana, Crotophaga major, Chelidoptera tenebrosa, and Cairina
moschata.
Though we had already passed out of the zone of civilized
men and entered far into the district inhabited by half-
civilized Indians only, the richness of bird-life, both in
species and individuals, was at first not very great, but
increased almost imperceptibly from day to day. I may
explain that the Lower Capim, inhabited by a white and
coloured population, is divided from the true Indian district
of the headwaters by a wide space absolutely devoid of human
residents, though it was thinly populated up to some twenty
or thirty years ago by Tembé and Turyuara Indians,
Their abandoned settlements, called “ tapéras,”’ are easily
recognised by the clearings in the high forest, now occupied
by shrubs and low trees, and produce a very melancholy
impression on the mind of the visitor.
The constant occurrence of extensive “ tapéras ”’ enables us
to see that the avifauna has not yet become again equal
in richness to that of the virgin forest. Two forms
of bird-life prove this immediately by their striking
frequency—Chelidoptera tenebrosa, the quiet and melancholy
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 483
“ urubusinho,” and Falco rufigularis, the pseudo-“ cauré.”
The other birds cited above are what I might call “ ubiquitous
river-forms,’ and the series does not contain elements
characteristic of any particular portion of the Amazonian
subregion.
Early the next morning, June 26th, between 7 and 7.30
A.M., we were at the mouth of the second of the more im-
portant affluents of the Capim River, the Potyreté. Inoted
this day the following birds :—Falco rufigularis, Sarco-
rhamphus papa, Ceryle torquata, Plotus anhinga, Ardea
leuce, and Lathria cinerea. We passed the night near the
sandy ‘‘ Praia de SA0 Miguel,” some hours above the mouth
of the right-hand affluent, the Cauachy.
On June 27th, in the morning, Plotus anhinga, Falco rufi-
gularis, Tachycineta albiventris, and Atticora fasciata were
noted. An important bird, long wished for, was seen for
the first time on the journey—the large blue Hyacinthine
Ara (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus). It seems to inhabit
the upper part of the rivers in Lower Amazonia and
Guiana, particularly in the vicinity of the rapids
(““cachoeiras”).
Wearrived at 1 o’clock p.m. at “ Acary-ucdua.” This is at
present the principal settlement of those Tembé Indians who
inhabit the Capim River and the country between the Capim
and the higher branches of the Acarg. The “Tuchdua”
(chief) was absent, having gone to the upper river with a
nuraberof young men in search of copaiba-oil, but we requested
the remaining Indians to help us in procuring firewood for
our steam-launch.
During the afternoon I heard and saw Pionias violaceus,
Cathartes urubitinga, C. urubu, Chelidoptera tenebrosa, Tachy-
cineta albiventris, Falco rufigularis, Asturina magnirostris,
Ardea cocoi, Atticora fasciata, and what I believe to have
been Cotile riparia. Bird-life here had become decidedly
more abundant and more interesting.
“Acary-ucaua” is a village of some 20 huts of Tembé
Indians, situated on an elevated plateau on the left bank of
the Capim. As its height is rather considerable for the
484. Dr. E. A. Goeldi—Ornithological Results
country (from 8 to 10 metres), the visitor has to climb by a
ladder from the bank to the summit, and thus gets an idea
of the great difference of the water-level in the dry and
the rainy seasons. A good view is here obtained of the
river-landscape below, especially of the forest of spiny
Jauary palms, “jauarizal” (Astrocaryum jauary), on the
opposite side. Considerable numbers of “ Tangurt-para ”’
(Monasa nigra and M. morpheus) inhabit the surroundings
of this genuine Indian settlement, and by their singular
concerts, combined with the old indigenous traditions,
give a peculiar idyllic feature to it. I received the im-
pression there that these birds are fond of the neighbourhood
of the red man, and that the red man in his turn. loves
and respects the birds, and I can understand this mutual
sympathy—they are both equally mysterious! We passed a
bad night on the maloca, owing to the mosquitoes, which were
abundant and sanguinary—a strange thing, as generally we
had nothing to suffer from this plague anywhere on the
expedition.
We continued our journey early in the morning of June
28th up the river with the steam-launch, now freshly pro-
vided with several thousand logs of wood, as we intended to
go at least as far as the confluence of the two head-rivers
of the Capim, the “ Surubiu” and the ‘‘ Ararandéua.” About
10 a.m. we arrived at the lowest falls—an anxious moment
for us, as we expected to obtain there with our own eyes
evidence whether we could continue our trip in the launch or
not. The result was unsuccessful ; there was not more than
5L feet of water in the only passage between the rocks,
and the steam-launch ‘Ondina’ required fully 63 feet. We
soon recognised that we had arrived a month too late, and
that there was no other plan than to stop here with our
expedition. Anchoring with the launch at the foot of the falls,
we tried to make the passage in our boats, and continued
our reconnaissance of the river upwards for some hours.
The rest of the 28th and the whole of the 29th of June
we remained at this spot, collecting and hunting zealously.
The list of birds observed became sensibly richer here,
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 485
and the other collections also increased considerably, owing
principally to the help of the experienced Tembé Indians, of
whom we had half-a-dozen in our company. Crotophaga
major, Falco rufigularis, Ceryle (of several species), Cassicus
persicus, Cotile riparia, Tachycineta albiventris, Atticora
fasciata, Monasa nigra and M. morpheus, Columba plumbed,
Ara severa and other small species of Ara, Anodorhynchus
hyacinthinus, Pionias violaceus, Odontophorus guianensis,
Crypturus strigulosus, and Rhamphastus erythrorhynchus
were among our spoils.
The Tembé Indians, especially attentive to the larger birds
for the kitchen, brought in from their hunting examples of
Crypturus strigulosus, Psophia obscura, and a large Wood-
pecker, but in too bad a state to be of use for our collections.
I myself visited the surrounding forest, aud became really
impressed by its varied and extensive bird-life. It was
impossible to determine in many cases all the bird-forms
which emitted strange sounds high above our heads in the
summits of the gigantic forest-trees, hammered on the
branches and on the trunks, and climbed in the foliage of
the lower vegetation. True Woodpeckers (Picide), as well
as the pseudo-Woodpeckers of the family Dendrocolaptide,
were represented in dazzling multiplicity, and every orni-
thologist acquainted with the neotropical avifauna will easily
understand the extraordinary difficulty which I feel in
giving an absolutely exact description of all that may be
seen and heard in an Amazonian forest. There is one
means only of obtaining full certitude—the “ultima ratio ”
of bringing specimens down with powder and shot.
On the evening of the 30th of June we returned to Poco
Real, a recently commenced plantation of the Tembé Indians
about an hour distant down the river. In the morning of
the next day we sent the steam-launch ‘Ondina’ back to Para
with part of tbe collections and some living animals. We
were thus left entirely to ourselves, and lived from the 30th of
June to the 5th of July along with the Tembés, of whom
about a dozen families were assembled there, occupied with
their ‘‘rogas” (plantations) of mandioca and other food.
486 Dr. KE. A. Goeldi— Ornithological Results
I shall never forget this week spent among the Indians. It
was a most instructive period for us as regards natural history,
as well as for ethnography and linguistics.
Pogo Real is nothing more than a simple clearing in the
forest on a plateau of the river-bank, upon which are scattered
a dozen more or less provisional cottages. One of these
was lent to us during our stay by its proprietor (a Tembé
Indian whose wife was of the Turyuara tribe), and was trans-
formed into our expeditionary headquarters.
The multitude of Parrots and Macaws (among which the
blue Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus was a daily visitor) at this
solitary spot was a good omen for ornithological work.
The concert of birds’ voices every morning and evening,
partially extending into the night, which struck our ears,
coming from the low “jauarizal” on the opposite side of
the river and from different parts of the forest behind and
around us, was quite sufficient to captivate an ornithologist.
Employing on an average ten or twelve experienced Indian
hunters every day, and hunting and collecting ourselves, the
daily result was a mountain of mammals and birds and of
all kinds of objects of natural history.
On the 30th June we entered in our lists of collections :—
Ara chloroptera, Neomorphus geoffroyt (Indian name “ Acé-
netika”), Chelidoptera tenebrosa (‘‘ Tapera-perana ”), Monasa
morpheus (“Zuni”), Mionectes oleagineus, and a large-
billed Finch with a red-and-black cap, probably Pitylus
erythromelas.
On the Ist of July we obtained examples of Deroptyus
accipitrinus, Rhamphastus ariel, Selenidera gouldi, Odonto-
phorus guianensis, Pipile cujubi, Crypturus variegatus, and
C. strigulosus. A Kingfisher (Ceryle torquata), a Lathria,
and both sexes of Phlogopsis nigromaculata were collected
in too bad a state for preservation.
On the 2nd of July I find these names mentioned in my
notes—Piaya macrura, Thryothorus genibarbis, and Glypho-
rhynchus cuneatus, besides a multitude of smaller birds of
different families, among which the Yellow-breasted Swallow
(Stelgidupteryx ruficollis) was of special interest.
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 487
We noticed that early in the morning and in the evening,
for about an hour, groups of some twenty or thirty
small Swallows exercised their mosquito-hunting faculties
above the “roca,” and disappeared afterwards. ‘They were
the two often-mentioned River-Swallows and Stelgidopteryx.
On July 3rd we obtained Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
(one living example of which we brought to Para), Urudi-
tinga sp. inc., Pipile cujubi, and Rhamphastus erythro-
rhynchus. This day and the next I was principally employed
in collecting ants and spiders, in taking photographs, and
in preparing huguistic notes on the Tembé language.
One of the birds that occupied much of my attention was
Neomorphus geoffroyi, a large forest Cuckoo, not very
rare on the higher Capim. The Tupi name for it is
“Tajacu-uira,”’ that is, the bird of the “ tajact-hog”
(Dicotyles tajagu); the Tembé Indians, however, call it
“ Aka-netika”’—that is, “(the bird which) nods with the
head.” Generally several individuals are met with together
in the deep forest, and all the information that I obtained
from the Indians about its life and customs agrees with my
own. It has the habits and manners of a Formicarian bird,
following the Eciton ant-armies and mingling in the flocks of
Phlogopsis, Rhopoterpe, Formicarius, Pyriglena, Myrmeciza,
and other ant-birds. It is therefore often met with on the
ground.
At Poco Real I also had an opportunity of taking the first
steps towards clearing up aconfusion about certain species of
Amazonian Cracidz, a matter to which I will return later.
During the night of the 4th of July our Tembé Indians
organized a dancing festival, called by them “ hé-ira,” on a
clear space in the centre of the plantation near the river-
bank. They danced, sang to the rhythm of their “ maraca ”
(rattle), smoked their gigantic cigars (about 2 fect long),
and drank with much “entrain” till the morning of the
next day.
But the same morning at 4 o’clock we embarked in three
canoes on our return voyage. We were accompanied by a
young Indian, who had been lent to me by his mother for
488 Dr. E. A. Goeldi—Ornithological Results
some weeks. During the first day of our rowing downwards
I observed [bycter americanus (several times), Plotus anhinga,
Ardea leuce, and Geronticus infuscatus.
Arriving at a sandy spot called “‘ Praia do Ipomonga,” we
resolved to pass the night there. Our hunters brought, after
some delay, a Tinamus solitarius (called “ Inhambu-péua”
in Tupi, but our Tembés called it “ Inamuhu,” that is, ‘the
large Inhambu”) and a large black Eagle (Urubitinga
zonura). Ibycter americanus is one of those birds that does
not require much time to make itself known anywhere. Its
cry is a violently-expelled “ ha-ci-ci-ci-ca,” some eight or
ten times repeated with diminishing intensity, and is really
likely to terrify the visitor who hears it for the first time,—
all the more so as several of these brilliantly coloured
birds-of-prey are generally found in the same place and cry
together or alternately. The Indians told me that Lbycter
americanus feeds especially on wasps; it seems to be a New
World representative of Pernis apivorus. But we fed a
“Cancan” that we brought alive to Para with small birds.
It was an old, savage, and sturdy individual, darting deadly
hate from its blood-coloured eyes, and gave us much trouble.
Ibycter americanus seems to appreciate the solitary Indian
“tapéras ”; it was a daily visitor during our journey.
On July 6th, early in the morning, we reached the mouth
of the “Cauachy,” one of the most important right-hand
affluents of the Upper Capim, where we had previously
resolved to establish our headquarters for some days. This
is an absolutely deserted locality, no human creature being
met with in a circuit of several days’ journey around. The
“ Cauachy’”’ was some 24 metres broad, and its depth was found
by us to be from 4 to 5 metres im the middle. We spent four
days in this solitary spot, rich in animal life of every kind,
hunting, fishing, preparing specimens, and taking notes.
I observed here Cancroma cochlearia, Ostinops decumanus,
Monasa morpheus, Eurypyga helias, Ceryle of several species,
Lathria cinerea, Tigrisoma, Falco rufigularis, Urubitinga
zonura, Ibycter americanus, and Tinamus solitarius. Every
night we heard in the forest around us the voice of Nyctibius
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 489
jamaicensis (the Giant Goatsucker). Its ery is “ f6-fi-fi-fi-
ha-hi-ha,” the second part expelled slowly and so lengthened
that it is generally the only sound heard, while the first part
is audible only when the bird is quite near.
Among the smaller species observed here, I noted two
yellowish Tyrannids, Lathria, one small blackish Thamno-
philus, Thryothorus genibarbis, Tachycineta albiventris, Atti-
cora fasciata, and Stelgidopteryx ruficollis. The acquisitions
of the larger forms of birds were more important, as shown
by the following list:—Mitua mitu, Penelope superciliaris,
Crax fasciolata, Urubitinga zonura, Ibycter americanus,
Trogon viridis, Tinamus solitarius, Falco rufigularis, and
Psophia obscura.
The Trumpeters (Psophia) collected on the Upper Capim
River proved to be of a certain importance in clearing up
doubts about the specific distinctness of P. viridis Spix and
P. obscura Natterer, especially concerning the validity of
the latter, which was doubted even as recently as the date of
vol. xxiii. of the British Museum Catalogue*. Regarding
these “ Jacamins ” (charming creatures, of which I succeeded
in bringing two living specimens to Para), a droll story may
be related. One of my Indian hunters brought me one of
these “Jacamins,” dead. At first sight I was agreeably
surprised, but was much disappointed on discovering that the
bird had its legs cut off. Blaming the Indian, I enquired
the reason of such a barbarous act. The Indian’s reply was:
“T considered that the legs were too long, and being good
for nothing, I thought it better to cut them off’ I was at
once disarmed by this naive explanation, characteristic of
the ingenuous mind of these people, so different from ours.
At their homes our Tembé Indians were always clad in
a pair of short breeches, at least when in our company, but
as soon as they entered the forest they always took these
garments off, and, rolling them up into a small packet,
fastened them by means of a liane round their bodies, and
remained entirely naked. When asked the reason of doing
this they informed me that it was in order to protect
* Cf. Sclater, Ibis, 1898, p. 320.
SER. VIII.— VOL. III. o K
490 Dr. E. A. Goeldi— Ornithological Results
the breeches, a rather expensive article, from being torn
to pieces by the thorns, with which the forest was always
supplied. Naturally I was highly amused by this original
appreciation of the greater value of a pair of breeches than
of a man’s skin.
I will now say a word on the Tinamidz observed during
our Capim expedition, especially as regards the popular and
Indian names for the different species, which were four in
number.
1. Crypturus pileatus, the smallest, is generally called
« Sururina” on the Capim River, as well as around the city
of Paré. The word is evidently a Tupi word with a Portu-
guese termination. The Tembé Indians pronounce the word
in the somewhat abbreviated form of “ Surury.”
2. Crypturus variegatus is called by the pure Tupi-speaking
tribes, such as the “ Turyudras,” ‘‘ Inhambu-anhanga ’’—that
is, “Tinamou-demon.”’ The Tembé Indians call it “ Inamu-
saracuira.”
3. Crypturus strigulosus is called by the non-Indian popu-
lation of Lower Amazonia ‘ Inhambt-relojo” (tinamou-
watch). The Tembés in the interior of the State of Para
eall it “ Inamu-péua-hy ”—that is, the “smaller Tinamou
with flattened breast.”
4. Tinamus solitarius, the largest form, bears the Indian
name “ Inhambu-péua ”—that is, ‘‘Tinamou with flattened
breast.” Our Tembés called it, however, “ Inamt-hit,”
which means “ the large Tinamou.”’ *
I may add that all the Tinamous have an excellent whitish-
coloured muscular breast-flesh, equally good to eat whether
boiled or fried, and so tender and nutritious that it is
considered all over Brazil a suitable dish even for sick
persons. Naturally, therefore, the Tinamide figure here
among the first-class indigenous game-birds. Crypturus
pileatus, the “ Sururina,” is the most popular member of the
* I met with the same bird in the coast-region of South Guiana with
the native names of “ Inhambu-serra” and “Inhambu-tor6” (see my
“ Results of a Naturalist’s Visit to the Coast-Region of South Guiana,”
‘This,’ 1897, p. 156).
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 491
group at the mouth of the Amazon, and without doubt
it should be considered the true Amazonian equivalent
and representative of C. tataupa of Southern Brazil, well
known in the State of Rio de Janeiro and neighbouring
districts.
Another ornithological result of our Capim expedition
was the long-desired clearing-up of the Crax pinima problem,
dating from the time of Natterer, and the critical revision
of a series of allied species, always more or less doubtful, of
Cracidz. Some of these results have already been announced .
in a provisional manner by Dr. Sclater in a short note in
‘The Ibis’* and by myself +. This is a good opportunity of
giving some details on the question.
Natterer had obtained in 1835, at Praia do Cajuttba,
Para, a female specimen of a “ Muttim,” which was there
called by the Indian name ‘“ Mutim-pinima”—that is,
Spotted (or Painted) Curassow. He made of it a new
species with the name Craz pinima, though it seems from
v. Pelzeln’s extracts from Natterer’s original notes that he
was somewhat in doubt whether it was not merely the female
of Craz sclatert Gray = Crax fasciolata Spix.
The type-specimen of Craz pinima was first described by
v. Pelzeln (Orn. Bras. p. 341) in 1871, and Natterer’s MS.
name was adopted.
After that time several naturalists who were treating of
South-American Cracide (Gray, Sclater and Salvin, Ogilvie-
Grant) wrote about Craxv pinima, identifying with it certain
individuals more or less agreeing with v. Pelzeln’s descrip-
tion. But it must be repeated that these birds were in
every case female individuals, and that these individuals
shewed considerable variations (leaving a large margin to
conjecture as to whether they were due to specific dif-
ferences or to diversities of age and maturity); and I must
add that no figure in books accessible to me, not even in
Dr. Sclater’s two most useful essays “On the Curassows
* Ibis, 1898, p. 462.
+ Goeldi, ‘Aves do Brazil,’ Rio de Janeiro, 1894-98, p. 393,
2K
4.92 Dr. E. A. Goeldi—Ornithelogical Results
now or lately living in the Society’s Gardens,” * agrees
entirely as regards colour-details with the original de-
scription, nor does any one of the three individuals recently
described by Ogilvie-Grant (Cat. B. xxii. p. 477) under
Crax pinima absolutely agree with v. Pelzeln’s characters.
But I have personally seen specimens entirely agreeing with
v. Pelzeln’s description, and I can assure my readers that the
description really gives us a good idea of one of the phases
of colouring of the female ‘‘ Mutum-pinima” of the State of
Para. But I cannot attribute to it any higher value, and I
decidedly deny to it the rank of a species.
From June 1894, the date of my arrival at Para, till the
present time a number of “ Muttims”’ have been received
at our Zoological Garden with the popular designation of
“Pinima.” They all agreed more or less with the sketch or
general aspect of v. Pelzeln’s description of ‘‘ Crax pinima,”
but in details of desiga—cross-barring ou the abdominal side,
barring of the tail-feathers, extent of dark and ochraceous
colour on the upper and lower abdomen, barring of the head-
crest, and other respects—they varied extremely, so much so,
that every individual represented a particular phase, which
by a very anxious systematist might be referred to a distinct
species. By a singular chance it happened that at the
Museum of Paré we never got a single male of “‘ Muttim-
pinima,” living or dead. Thus I was for several years ill at
ease with the failure of my attempts to obtain the male of
Crax pinima, but this discovery | succeeded finally in making
on the Capim expedition.
At Acary-ucaua and Pogo Real our Tembé Indians brought
in specimens of the female ‘ Mutum-pinima” corresponding
in colour and aspect, as well as in its Indian name, with the
individuals im the Para Zoological Gardens. Naturally the
first question I put to the Indians, all exceedingly familiar
with the animal life of the surrounding forests, was: ‘‘ Do
you know the male‘ Mutam-pinima’?” They replied, without
a moment’s hesitation, ““We do know it!” “ How is it
* Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. ix. p. 273, and x. p. 543.
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 493
coloured?” T asked. “Tt is black, white on the belly, and
yellow-billed, like the female.” It will be easily understood
that I made every possible effort to excite them to bring
to me immediately such a male “ Muttim-pinima.” They
brought me some, and these birds agreed altogether with
the oral information given about its exterior aspect. But I
made even a further experiment. Tasked the Tembé Indians,
“ How do you know with certainty that the birds you brought
are the males of the ‘Muttm-pinima’?”? They replied,
“There can be no doubt, as hereabouts we have not more
than two sorts of Muttims: one is the red-billed ‘ Muttim-
cavallo’*, the other is the yellow-billed ‘ Muttim-pinima.’
And, as you know, these two sorts are easily recognised
by every child, and nobody could confound them.”
This reason and argument are really uncontrovertible. If,
in certain districts, yellow-billed Muttims appear always in
two forms—black ones with white belly and barred ones with
ochraceous undersides, and the former are always of the
male sex and the latter are always of the female sex, it is
manifest that the two forms belong together—that the former
is the male and the latter its female. This should be suf-
ficient, but the Indians had another even more weighty
proof—the direct observation of their sexual connexion;
they knew thoroughly well the details of the reproduction of
the “ Muttim-pinima.”
As will be seen, circumstances were particularly favourable
on the Capim River for removing this old systematic ‘f crux”
about the hypothetical Craz pinima, owing to the fact that
there exist there only two species of Cracidze, very easy to
recognise—a red-billed and a yellow-billed species, the latter
being the “ Mutum-pinima.” To this circumstance, together
with the especial attention I have directed since 1894 to the
solution of the problem, the success must be attributed.
The “ Muttim-pivima” is distributed over the interior of the
Atlantie side of the right-hand Amazonian shore of the
State of Para, namely, the upper districts of the rivers
Capim, Guama, and the neighbouring parts of the interior
* This is the native name for Mitua mit,
A494 Dr. E. A. Goeldi— Ornithological Results
of the States Maranhad and Goyaz. From the Rio Grajaht
J have seen several living individuals, and among them one
almost entirely agreeing with the colour-phase of vy. Pelzeln’s
original description of Crax pinima.
Thus there can remain absolutely no doubt that the name
Crax pinima, as based only upon female specimens, should
be cancelled. If asked to what species the “ Muttm-pinima ”
of the Para district must belong, I reply, to Crax fasciolata
Spix *, though Spix’s figure (plate 52a), taken from a female,
is certainly not at all fit to give a clear idea of the external
features of this species.
It is therefore necessary to consider the modifications caused
by cancelling Crax pinima among the species of Cracidze
admitted by modern ornithologists. Opening vol, xxii. of the
‘Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,’ written by
Ogilvie-Grant, we see.(p. 477) that, according to this author,
Crax incommoda Sclater ought to be cancelled too, as
synonymous with Craxr pinima. And necessarily also the
numerous species which compose the synonymy of Crazx
fasciolata, according to the views of Grant, should share the
same fate, namely, Craz sclateri Gray, Crax discors Natterer t,
Crax azare Natterer, and Crax circinatus Licht. Also
Crax mikani Pelzeln seems to belong to this cycle of doubtful
species, evidently condemned to disappear in the immediate
future.
Strict rectitude compels me to state that already in 1875-
1879 Dr. Sclater, in his monographie essay of the Curas-
_ sows living in the Zoological Society’s Gardens, clearly gave
us to understand his doubts as regards the validity of the
species Crax pinima. He writes (op. cit. p. 281) :—“On
the whole, I am inclined to believe that Crazx pinima is
founded on a female Craz sclateri. But 1 should be glad
* Plate 52a of Spix’s work, ‘ Avium species novee &c.,’ Monachi, 1824,
called “ Crax fasciolata,” seems to represent a somewhat dark female
specimen. It may be noted that in 1875 Sclater identified this figure
quite rightly with Crax pinima of Pelzeln.
+ Established on a specimen in the Berlin Museum collected at Cameta
(Para) by the German Sieber, collector of Graf v. Hoffmannsege, in the
beginning of the last century.
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 495
to be able to examine examples of both sexes of the Curassow
of Para, in order to compare it with that of Matto Grosso
and Paraguay, the range beimg rather extensive for one
species of the genus.”
Not without a certain regret, therefore, I found ‘‘ Crax
pinma”’ restored in vol. xxii. of the ‘Catalogue of Birds
in the British Museum’ in an official manner to its usurped
dignity and rank. I hope, however, that ornithologists will
now consider the matter settled for ever, and the so-called
“Crax pinima”’ definitely cancelled.
Ou July 9th we made a reconnaissance of the upper part
of the Cauachy River. It was an interesting, but at the same
time a rather painful excursion, owing to the innumerable
obstacles we met with, the river being constantly obstructed
by big trees which had fallen from both banks. To cut
through a space sufficiently wide for the passage of our
boat was often a matter of more than an hour’s hard work.
Though we met with spots which some years ago had
evidently been Indian “ rocas,’’ the Cauachy at the time of
our visit was absolutely deserted, no one being resident, at
least on its lower course. Formerly it was inhabited by
Tembés and Turyuaras, and often served as a passage from
the Capim River to the headwaters of the Gurupy-miry and
neighbouring affluents of the Gurupy River.
On this day and on the 10th of July, when we were already
moving downwards as far as the place called ‘* Tracua-téua,”
I observed Heliornis fulica, Nauclerus furcatus, Asturina
magnirostris, Chrysotis amazonica, Anodorhynchus hyacin-
thinus and Ara macao (both regularly in couples), Urubitinga
conura, Monasa nigra and M. morpheus (frequent), Lbycter
americanus, Ceryle div. spec., Thryothorus genibarbis, Atticora
fasciata, Tachycineta albiventris, Phlogopsis niyromaculata,
Plotus anhinya, Crax fausciolata (© Muttim pinima”), and
Mitua mitu (“ Mutim cavallo”), the “ Mitu-été” of the
Tembé Indians.
At “ Tracudé-téua,” some hours below the mouth of the Po-
tyreta affluent, we made our third headquarters on descending.
It is a locality as devoid of human creatures as all the others
4.96 Dr. E, A. Goeldi—Ornithological Results
in which we had fixed our stations. The exploration of the
neighbouring lake, very long but not wide (as these lakes
generally are, on both sides of the main river), which lay in
the same direction as the Capim and was separated from it
only by an elevation of some 80 metres, formed an agreeable
task, to which we dedicated two days.
_Here we obtained a full-grown Tapir and specimens of
Cairina moschata, Monasa nigra,and Ara macao. Exceedingly
common hereabouts during the night was the Giant Goat-
sucker (Nyctibius jamaicensis). During the day Phlogopsis
nigromaculata, called “‘ mie da ta6ca,” was often heard around
our encampment in the forest. A brown-black middle-sized
Thamnophilus was always crying “br-br-br” in the lower
vegetation. On the declivity of a soft earth-wall on the side
of a sort of artificial defile, where evidently in former times
a way had been cut from the river to the lake, I discovered
the entrance-hole of the subterranean breeding-quarters of
the “ Tanguru-para” (Monasa nigra). Unfortunately I had
no implements with me with which to dig out the gallery
and nest, as I wished to do, in order to get an exact idea
of their architectural structure.
On the] 2th of July, at 5 o’clock p.m., we left “'Tracua-téua,”
rowing downwards the whole night and all the next day.
We saw and heard Columba plumbea, Aramides chiricote,
Ibycter americanus, Falco rujigularis, Ardea virescens, Monasa
nigra (frequently), Rhamphastus ariel and R. erythro-
rhynchus, Chrysotis amazonica, Pionias violaceus, Momotus
brasiliensis, and Phlogopsis nigromaculata. But the most
- interesting occurrence was a small flock of three individuals
of Hoplopterus spinosus at Praia Granda on a sand-bank. I
shot two of them, the third escaped.
Not far from the mouth of the affluent “ Caudirt-act,” we
noted Ara macao, Parra jacana, Cathartes urubitinga, Ardea
leuce, and Ceryle of several species. On the whole I was
surprised to see so few Herons along the Capim.
We reached Sfio Luiz at 4.45 p.m. on the 13th of July,
and remained there the next day. We had a bad night,
with incessant rain, followed by an exceedingly hot day;
of an Expedition up the Capim River. 497
and it was certainly this unfortunate period of our expe-
dition to which we owed the fevers brought home, which
tormented us for several years afterwards. At this station
we procured examples of Pivonias violaceus (three), Automolus
sclateri, Momotus brasiliensis, and Rhamphocelus jacapa.
A welcome acquisition were three specimens of the most
interesting, rare, and beautiful Parrot Caica vulturina,
called ‘‘ Periquito @anta ’’—that is, “ Tapir-Parrakeet.”
At Sao Luiz I observed a yellow-breasted Trogon breeding
in a white-ants’ nest on a Genipapeiro-tree, some 15 feet
from the ground. Monasa nigra was still frequent ; Momotus
was regularly heard in the morning and evening, as well as
Nyctibius.
Near the island called Gipidca reappeared the first
“Ciganas” (Opisthocomus cristatus), characteristic of the
lower river-zone only.
On the 15th of July, in the evening, we reached our base of
operations—A pproaga. We had to remain there eight days ;
during the first three of which I endured sharp attacks
of fever. -On our return to Paré my companions were also
struck down by fever, which obliged us to take a holiday,
spent by Dr. H. Huber, our botanist, in Ceara, and by
myself in Rio de Janeiro, though not with quite satisfactory
results.
Il]. List or tue Brrps or tHe River Carin.
List of Birds observed by — List of Birds collected by Mr.
the author on the River A. R. Wallace on the River
Capim, June-July 1897. Capim in May-June 1849.
+1. Urubitinga schistacea.
{. 2. zonura.
_ 3. Sarcorhamphus papa.
4. Falco rufigularis. 1. Spizactus tyrannus.
> OV
Ibycter americanus.
. Harpagus diodon,
Asturina magnirostris,
8. Cathartes urubitinga.
“I
urubu,
10. Milvago chimachima,
4.93 Dr. E. A. Goeldi— Ornithological Results
~\11. Nauclerus fureatus.”
+
12. Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus.
15. Ara chloroptera.
macao. 2, Conurus perlatus.
15. Deroptyus accipitrinus.
16. Pionias violaceus. 3. Urochroma purpurata.
17. Caica vulturiva,
18. Brotogerys tuipara.
19. Chrysotis amazonica.
inornata.
21. Rhamphastus ariel.
erythrorhynchus. 4, Pteroglossus aracari.
23. Selenidera gouldi.
24. Pteroglossus bitorquatus.
25, Celeus jumana.
26. Campophilus rubricollis. 6. Campophilus trachelopyrus.
27, Chloronerpes flavigula.
28. Ceryle amazona.
americana.
30. torquata.
31. Bueco hyperrhynchus. 6. Bucco tamatia.
32. Malacoptila rufa.
33. Monasa nigra,
o4, morpheus,
35. Chelidoptera tenebrosa. 7. Jacamerops grandis.
36. Galbula cyaneicollis. 8. Galbula cyaneicollis.
37. Momotus brasiliensis.
£38. Nyctibius jamaicensis. 9. Podager nacunda.
39. Nyctidromus albicollis.
40. Crotophaga major. 10. Crotophaga major.
41. ani.
42, Piaya macrura.
45, Neomorphus geoffroyi.
44, Trogon viridis. 11. Trogon viridis.
45. Ostinops decumanus.
viridis.
47, Cassicus persicus.
heemorrhous,
49, Cassidix oryzivora.
Coturniculus manimbe.
Pitylus erythromelas.
Spermophila hypoleuca.
Volatinia jacarini.
Tachyphonus melaleucus.
2
ay
—
na)
2. Pitylus erythromelas,
Or Or Or
iw)
on
a Reh
IN
Or
. Euphonia violacea.
Tanagra palmarum. 13. Calliste boliviana.
SH
oO
aS
oo bo
OU
Se ites SS OS Me BS MS me mn
e
of an Expedition
Tanagra episcopus. 14,
Rhamphoccelus jacapa.
Coereba cyanea.
. Troglodytes musculus,
Thryothorus genibarbis.
Tyrannus melancholicus.
Rhynchocyclus ruticauda. 15.
Saurophagus lictor.
Mionectes oleagineus, 16.
Pipra leucocilla.
auricapilla,
Chiromacheeris manacus.
Todirostrum maculatum.
Lathria cinerea. +17.
Pachyrhamphus cinereus.
Thamnophilus nigrocinereus.
amazonicus, ite
simplex.
—— maculicauda.
Hypocnemis melanopogon.
Synallaxis rutilans, 19.
Dysithamnus mentalis. 20.
Rhopoterpe torquata, 21.
. Phlogopsis nigromaculata.
Glyphorhynchus cuneatus, 22.
Dendrobates ruficeps. 25.
Formicivora grisea. { 24.
Phylidor pyrrhodes. 25.
. Automolus sclateri. 26.
Progne tapera.
Tachycineta albiventris.
Atticora fasciata.
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis.
Columba speciosa.
plumbea. 27.
Geotrygon montana.
Chameepelia passerina.
Odontophorus guianensis. 28
Crypturus pileatus,
variegatus.
strigulosus.
Tinamus solitarius,
Psophia obscura.
Pipile cuyubi.
Mitua mitu.
Crax fasciolata.
up the Capim River.
499
Ayremon silens.
Colopterus goaleatus.
Myiobius erythrurus.
Querula cruenta.
Thamnophilus amazonicus.
Myrmotherula axillaris.
brevicauda.
hauxwelli,
Glyphorhynchus cuneatus.
Dendrornis eytoni.
Rhamphoczenus melanurus.
Sclerurus caudatus.
mexicanus.
Columba vinacea.
. Odontophorus guianensis.
500. Ornithological Expedition up the Capim River.
108. Penelope superciliaris.
104. Ortalis aracuan.
+105. Heliornis fulica.
106, Tigrisoma brasiliense.
--107. Cancroma cochlearia.
, 108. Ardea leuce.
4-109.
110, Eurypyga helias.
-/-111. Hoplopterus spinosus.
112. Parra jacana.
113. Aramides chiricote.
+114. Cairina moschata.
115. Opisthocomus cristatus.
116. Plotus anhinga.
virescens.
The number of species of birds observed and identified
with certainty by us was thus 116*; Wallace in 1849 col-
lected examples of 28 species. Together this would give the
total number of 144 species of River-Capim birds; but there
is a reduction to make of 7 species common to both col-
lectors, the real total being 137.
As the Avifauna of the whole Amazonian basin includes,
according to our recently executed census, 1156 species J,
and as the Avifauna of the State of Para, according to the
present state of our knowledge, contains 330 species {—that
is, one quarter, more or less, of the whole Amazonian Avi-
fauna,—the Capim list, with 137 species, represents between
one-third and one-half of the Para ornis, manifestly a
considerable fraction, sufficient to allow fairly definite con-
clusions regarding the character and composition of the
bird-life of this district to be drawn from it.
Para, August 1902.
* I have intentionally omitted some species not sufficiently identified,
especially among the Trochilids.
+ Our census is based on the 27 volumes of the Brit. Mus. Catalogue.
t The census, based on the 27 volumes of the Brit. Mus. Catalogue,
gives 329 species of Para birds; the census based on our provisional cata-
logue of the collections of the Paré Museum (manuscript of 1698—the
new list is not yet quite ready) embraces 326 species. Sclater and Salvin,
in their memoir upon Wallace’s birds of Lower Amazonia (1867), mention
282 species.
Ornithological Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 501
XXXIX.—An Ornithological Journey in Fars, South-west
Persia. By Harry F. Wiruersy.
On February 20th, 1902, I set out for the Persian Gulf,
accompanied by Mr. C, F. Camburn, who had been with me
up the White Nile, as Taxidermist.
Text-fig. 16.
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stg ta"
We oo"
ils acd Aro:
DO ff O.
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Route +——
Scale of Miles
10 20 “30
ae,
Map oF Fars, sHewrne Mr. Wirnersy’s Route.
Bombay was reached on March 7th, and transhipping
unmediately to a British-Indian boat, we started, vid Karachi
and Maskat, for the Persian Gulf. Although stoppages
were made at various small ports every day or so between
502 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
Karachi and Bushire, quarantine regulations forbade our
landing. The sea-birds in the Gulf were disappointingly
few, and as I had sent my guns by another steamer, we
were able to obtain only one or two with a saloon-rifle—no
other weapon being available. On March 18th we arrived at
Bushire, and after spending some twenty-four hours on the
quarantine island, were permitted to go to the town.
Before leaving England I had experienced great difficulty
in getting my guns and ammunition shipped to the Persian
Gulf, and it was only with the very kind help of Mr. B. T.
Ffinch of the India Office, of the authorities at the Foreign
Office, of His Excellency the Persian Minister, and of the
authorities at the British Museum, that I eventually induced
the shippers to run what they chose to consider a great risk.
On my arrival at Bushire, however, there was no difficulty
whatever about the matter, and the polite Belgian custom-
house officials passed all my baggage through on the day of
my arrival, an ad valorem duty of 15 per cent. being paid
on the guns and cartridges.
At Bushire we were very hospitably entertained by Mr.
and Mrs. W. F. Garden. Mr. Garden gave me the greatest
possible assistance in getting together a caravan, and in
many other matters helped me greatly, both by word and
deed. Assistance such as this from a fellow-countryman
abroad is extremely valuable, and travellers have very much
to be thankful for when they meet one so capable and willing
to give advice and help as was Mr. Garden. March 21st is
the “ No Ruz,” or the Persian New Year’s day, which is kept
as a festive holiday. We accordingly made use of this day
and the next in collecting birds in the gardens and fields
round Bushire, and I managed to secure representatives of
twenty-five species ; but vegetation, owing to a three years’
drought at the coast, was naturally sparse and birds were
few.
On March 25th we took a boat across the bay to Shif, and
started on our journey to the interior. Our caravan con-
sisted of our two selves and two Persian servants (a cook
and a general servant and interpreter) mounted on mules,
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 503
seven baggage-mules, and two muleteers. The rate of mule-
hire in Persia is variable. We paid at Bushire the fairly
high price of 5 krans (55 krs. at the exchange of the day
= £1) per mule per day, while later on at Shiraz we paid
only 33 krs. per day. The rate varies from many causes:
corn and fodder may be scarce, a governor may have im-
pressed the services of many thousand mules to take him
and his retinue on a journey, or several boats with cargoes
for up-country may have arrived together at port. When
we got back to Bushire the rate of mule-hire had risen to 8
and 10 krs. per day, owing to the fact that thousands of
loads of telegraph material for the new line which is being
constructed across Persia were lying at the coast ready to
be taken up-country.
I made a mistake in selecting a mule, having had very
little experience of these animals before, and good horses
it was practically impossible to obtain at Bushire. A mule
has two annoying characteristics—he is restless when alone
and he will not be led. ‘To be happy he must be in the dust
of the caravan along with other mules, and he must be driven.
Consequently it took me a long time to train my mule to
turn aside from his comrades and to stand still while I shot
a bird. If the bird was dead I could generally pick it up
without getting off the saddle, but, supposing it was only
winged and no one was near to help, I might as well have
tried to move a mountain as to lead the mule, and matters
generally ended by my letting him clatter off to the caravan
while I retrieved my bird; but this involved a great loss of
time and energy, and I fared much better on the march
when, later, I had an old “yabu,” or pack-horse. This
curious animal had a habit of shying towards the edges of
precipices, and he was a wonderful stumbler. He became
nevertheless a cherished friend, because he soon learnt to
stand stock still while I fired and would go where I liked.
He was unfortunately stolen just when I had perfected his
training.
Mules as baggage-animals were fairly successful. They
performed wonderful feats in the way of climbing, and
504, Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
although they were continually falling, did not seem to
damage themselves very much. It was otherwise with the
baggage. When the mule fell so did the baggage, but after
a time we got quite hardened to seeing a box of skins or
photographie plates gaily bumping down from rock to rock.
Curiously enough (perhaps on account of our elaborate
packing), nothing was ever seriously damaged, except the
boxes themselves, and we luckily had a reserve of them.
Donkeys would have been more serviceable than mules,
perhaps, in some of the wooded country. The packs on the
mules were continually torn off by overhanging trees, undcr
which donkeys would generally have passed untouched. As
to the muleteers, perhaps I had better say nothing. They
are supposed to be a fine race of men in Persia. Physically
they are, but otherwise, in my experience, they are not. I
wiil not detail the little annoyances to which we were put
by our muleteers. When every other inducement failed,
one’s end had to be gained by physical force.
Roughly our journey consisted of a march of some 800
miles in the country comprised within a triangle drawn
with a line between Bushire and Shiraz as its base and the
Kuh-i-Dinar as its apex.
From an ornithological point of view the journey was
interesting and instructive. ‘The number of species in any
one locality was small, and birds, on the whole, were scarce,
but the continually varying altitudes and the abrupt changes
in the character of the country produced a striking variety
in the bird-life, and this was so apparent that I decided,
after a few days’ travelling, to march frequently and cover a
variety of tracts. A few birds (e. g. Merops viridis, Capri-
mulyus egyptius) which we saw in the coast-region we did
not see again, but most of the birds common near the coast
were also common in the valleys up to an altitude of 5500
fect or so. And up to this altitude the changes in the
bird-life seemed to me to be due, with few exceptions, to
the varied character of the country rather than to climatal
conditions. Above that altitude, however, a number of
birds (e g. Argya huttoni, Burnesia gracilis lepida, Pycno-
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. ~ 505
notus leucotis, Sylvia nana) were not to be found in similar
country to that in which they were common at lower eleva-
tions; while in the same way, but more markedly, many birds
(e.g. Montifringilla alpicola, Accentor jerdoni, Melanocorypha
bimaculata, Saxicola chrysopygia, Cinclus albicollis, Linota
cannabina fringillirostris, Otocorys penicillata) were confined
to various altitudes above 6000 feet. The only bird found
at all elevations and in every variety of country was the
Chukar (Caccabis saxatilis ehukar).
The route from Bushire to Shiraz is so well known that it
needs little description from me. For two days the traveller
passes along the hot and sandy coast-region. Then from
the little village of Daliki he steers straight for the hills
which fringe the plain, and, entering a gap in the steep
rock, begins to climb the first of the celebrated passes, or
kotals, as the Persians call them, which lie between the coast
and Shiraz. These passes have been called rock-ladders,
and with justice, for they are terribly rocky and steep, and
the track through them is merely a natural one, worn
smooth and slippery in places by the passage of innu-
merable mules, donkeys, horses, and camels. The life of
most of the beasts of burden ends in one or other of these
passes. The stones and rocks are often splashed with
blood, and there is always a fresh carcase for the Vultures,
Ravens, and Kites which haunt the kotal. It is extra-
ordinary that nothing is done to improve the track. Even
an Eastern people might be expected to spend a little on a
route used continually by thousands of valuable animals.
Our first experience of a kotal was unhappy, for rain
had added to the difficulties of the pass by making it
exceedingly slippery, and our mules continually fell. Our
nerves had many shocks, for we had not yet become accus-
tomed to seeing our precious boxes bouncing like footballs
from rock to rock. However, we were greatly consoled by
the first sight of Rock-Nuthatches, with their wonderful
whistling notes and diverting manners. After some five
hours of climbing and slipping in the barren grey rocks of
this pass, we emerged suddenly on to the edge of a fertile
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. 2k
506 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
basin, covered with corn and grass and dotted with’ palm-
trees—green and luxuriant. It was the height of spring
and the flowers were in perfection: every here and there
deep crimson poppies and bright blue gentians, growing
thickly together with other flowers of yellow, white, and
mauve, formed patches of most brilliant and_ beautiful
colour. The birds here were characteristic of all the lower
and fertile valleys. ;
In the next pass we were again unfortunate in having a
slippery track and in meeting hundreds of heavily-laden
donkeys, the foremost of which struggled to pass our mules,
and crashing their loads together, fell down one after the
other, until the narrow way was blocked with struggling
animals. But here again Rock-Nuthatches came to the
rescue of my jaded nerves, and that charming Bush-Robin,
Erithacus gutturalis, was seen and admired for the first time.
At the top of the kotal we passed, as suddenly as usual,
from barrenness to fertility, and found ourselves in the
small valley of Kamarij, yellow with mustard-plants. In
the surrounding hills I first saw the Lammergeier soaring
and sweeping along in noble flight with outstretched wings.
Red-legged Choughs, with their airy flight and cheerful
ways, were also first met with here; and travelling on from
this valley into a narrow defile, we saw Great Tits and
Syrian Woodpeckers. Passiug through the defile, we reached
the large valley of Kazran, where fields of opium-poppies
gleamed white amongst the corn, and the Nightingales
and Goldfinches sang sweetly in the thickly-planted fruit-
gardens.
But the greatest surprise of all was in store for us.
Ascending from the Kazran Valley by the Maiden’s Pass—
the Kotal-i-Dokhter—we reached the top after a hot and
dusty climb, and on turning a sharp bend in the track we saw
before us a charming valley thickly studded with oak-trees.
It was as though we had been transported in a flash back
to England. ‘The oaks were much the same as ours, and
the bird-life at first glance was characteristic of our woods:
Nuthatches, Great, Blue, and other Tits, Wood-Pigeons,
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 507
Spotted Woodpeckers, Jays, Wood-Larks, Blackbirds, and
Kestrels were there, and their notes and songs struck with
familiar accents on the ear.
The oak-wood stretches from this point for probably 200
or 300 miles through the mountains to the north-westward.
It extends from about 3000 feet to 8000 feet. At the lower
elevations the trees are usually larger and more thinly
spread, while at the higher altitudes they are small and
stunted, but generally grow thickly together. Although
much smaller, as a rule, than an average English oak, some
specimens of the Persian tree (Quercus persica) would be
no disgrace to an English park. The wood is used for fuel
and charcoal, and the acorns, which are long and tapering,
when skinned and ground are used instead of flour for bread
by many of the people of the country.
The oak-forest possesses a distinct fauna, a squirrel (Sciurus
fulvus Blanf.) and several birds being eutirely confined to
its limits. The birds subspecifically distinct are Sitta europea
persica (vide infra), Parus ceruleus persicus, Parus lugubris
dubius, found at all altitudes; while the forms of Syrnium
aluco and Gecinus viridis, met with at higher altitudes, and
of Dendrocopus miner may prove distinct. In addition Den-
drocopus medius sancti-johannis, Alauda arborea, and Garrulus
atricapillus, so far as I am aware, are not found elsewhere
in Persia.
After camping for a few days in these delightful woods,
we marched on over the Pir-i-zan—the highest and perhaps
the roughest pass between Bushire and Shiraz. In the
valley at the top of the Maiden’s Pass the oaks were in full
leaf and the birds were busily feeding their young; but as
we mounted higher and higher the oak-leaves grew smaller
and smaller, until, at some fifteen hundred feet above the.
valley, they had scarcely broken from the bud. Another
fifteen hundred feet and we had reached the top of the
Pir-i-zan, or Old Woman’s pass, and here, at 7000 fect, not
a leaf was to be seen and the birds were only beginning
to nest. In a space of three hours we had passed from a
tively and joyous summer to a scarcely awakened winter. A
2L2
in
508 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
thousand feet below us, on the other side of the pass, lay
the green basin of Dasht-1-arjan, surrounded by abrupt and
rocky hills. To this we descended and found an entirely
fresh avifauna, to say nothing of wild pig, in the reedy marsh
which covers a large part of the plain.
After working the marsh for a couple of days, we formed a
camp for a week at the base of the Pir-i-zan, where the oak-
woods bordered on the plain. This was a very good place
for birds, but I should undoubtedly have done better with
my collection had it not been for a tribe of Iliyats (nomads),
who swarmed down the hills with beasts innumerable for
three long days and disturbed the whole of my collecting-
ground, ‘The Iliyats, or clansmen, of Persia are a very
interesting people, and we afterwards visited mauy of their
encampments and found much to admire in these simple
sons of nature. But the first encounter with them was dis-
couraging from an ornithological point of view, although
one could not help respecting them—men, women, and
children—for the way in which they rode their horses,
mules, asses, camels, and cows, and for the way in which
they drove their great flocks and herds, regardless of any
path or track, straight down the steep hill-sides.
Hearing that Shiraz and the neighbouring country were in
a very disturbed state, owing to the Prince Governor having
been recalled to Tehran while his father was in Europe, we
decided to avoid the risk of being delayed there by first
making a tour in the oak-forest. We accordingly recrossed
the Pir-i-zan and struck northwards up the Dasht-i-Bam.
As we travelled on, camping for a day or two here and there,
the altitude gradually decreased and the oaks grew thinner,
until at Nurabad we reached some large and fertile plains
covered with rich crops of high corn, from which the
Francolin called continually with frog-like croaking notes,
At Tol-i-safid we turned to the east, and striking the Shiraz-
Behbahan route, soon came to a long and narrow valley
thickly overgrown with oak. After passmg Pul-i-mard the
valley or gorge led rapidly upwards, and in two days after
leaving the plains of Nurabad we found ourselves in a thick
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 509
oak-wood at an elevation of some 7500 feet. Here I wished
to camp, but for want of food and water was unable to do
so, and I could only blame myself for putting trust in the
assertions of the muleteer, whose knowledge of this part of
the country was supposed to be profound, but whose fertile
imagination regarding streams and villages greatly outran
the truth. However, we were able to return to this spot
well equipped later, and meanwhile we passed on and
soon reached the eastern limit of the oak-wood, which
stopped abruptly and gave way to an undulating grassy
country. Here, again, the bird-life suddenly changed and
Nuthatches and Tits were replaced like magic by Larks and
Buntings.
On reaching Shul we struck south-westwards across a
great grassy plateau at an altitude of over 7000 feet. As
we were climbing up this plateau the muleteers came running
to me with a circumstantial tale about a band of 600 robbers
who were lying in wait for us at the top. We had experi-
enced many robber-scares, but had never yet seen one brigand
in the flesh, so I told the muleteers that it was a good thing
that there were 600 robbers, for now we should surely see
them. At this they laughed heartily, and naively confessed
that they had only sought to frighten the Sahib, as they
wished to go straight to Shiraz. It was not of much use to
explain to them that I was going back to Dasht-i-arjan for
the sole purpose of getting the nest of a tiny bird (Phyllo-
scopus neglectus), which was unfinished and eggless a fort-
night before. The result, however, was worth the two days’
detour.
Personally I was glad to leave Dasht-i-arjan for the
second and last time, for it was a wonderful place for sudden
and frequent thunderstorms, and after getting wet through I
generally had fever—of a mild character, but always annoy-
ing. ‘Two days’ journey through a barren and dusty country
brought us to Shiraz, where all again was green,
At Shiraz we received the greatest possible kindness from
Mr. J. Wartenby, who entertaimed us most hospitably in the
Bagh-i-Mallock, the charming compound of the Indo-
510 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
Kuropean Telegraph Department. Here, freed from the trials
of the march and soothed by the liquid notes of the Nightin-
gales, we were contented to rest and drink in the rich
perfume of the roses, which were in all the glory of per-
fection. But after a few days, when we were anxious to be
on the road again, we found the greatest difficulty in getting
mules. Shiraz was without a governor, the whole district
was much disturbed, and all the roads being considered
very unsafe, the muleteers were in fear of their lives. Colonel
and Mrs. C. A. Kemball, who had just arrived from the
Residency at Bushire to take up their summer quarters at
Shiraz, took much interest in my journey. Colonel Kemball
very kindly suggested that I should wait for the arrival of
the new governor, when he could obtain an escort for me
as well as introductions to the various chiefs whom I might
encounter. But I was more willing to run the risk of being
attacked and robbed than to have the protection of an escort
which would have hampered my movements and would have
been a continual nuisance.
I was glad therefore when at last an arrangement was come
to with a muleteer and we left Shiraz. We travelled rapidly
to the north-west, and in three days reached the high wooded
country which we had left with reluctance about three weeks
before. We found everything changed. The oak was in full
leaf, the resident birds had young in the nest, immigrants had
arrived, and butterflies and many unpleasant insects swarmed.
When our provisions were becoming exhausted after camping
here, we made a short cut to the north towards a largish
town by name Ardakun. On the way, however, while we
were crossing a rapid stream (the Shir or Lion River) which
flows for the most part through a narrow and precipitous
gorge, I saw some Dippers, and as I had not met with any of
these birds before, and did not know where they might be
met with again, I camped for a day to search for them. From
this camp we rode through barren and uninteresting country
covered with coarse grass and thistles, until we reached the
edge of a small and deep basin amongst the hills. Here
lay the town of Ardakun shrouded in groves of fine walnut,
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 511
willow, and plane trees. Much to the gratification of the
inhabitants we camped in the town for the night; but
the people swarmed round our tent in hundreds, and their
curiosity overcame their politeness to such an extent that
we were obliged to obtain the services of two of the chief’s
strongest servants to keep them at a reasonable distance.
For the next five or six days we were travelling north-
wards at elevations of between seven and nine thousand feet.
We had left the wooded country to the west, and now the
mountains, which rose some two thousand feet above the
track, were rocky and snow-covered at the top, while their
slopes were thickly overgrown with coarse grass and large
umbelliferous plants which had a heavy scent. In such a
country there were few birds, but we were delighted to find
new forms in the shape of Horned Larks, Red-tailed W heat-
ars, and brightly-coloured Linnets. On May 24th we reached
the eastern slopes of the Kuh-i-Dinar, the high mountain
which I had been anxious to visit. The Pa Dinar (or foot
of Dinar) region consisted of undulating grassy country
rising gently to the base of the great mountain-ridge, which
towered high and dazzling in its whiteness to an altitude of
nearly 14,000 feet.
A large tribe of the Ilyats, called Farsi Medun, owners
of 2000 tents, had their summer-quarters in this excellent
grazing country. Their chief, Abdullah—a fine patriarchal
old man—received us most hospitably, as indeed the [liyat
leaders always did, and since these people are implicitly
obedient to their chiefs we were universally well treated by
them. Although quite uneducated, the Llyats are in many
sases highly intelligent people. ‘They are bold and outspoken
and have free and easy manners, but are possessed of a natural
and graceful politeness. At this place 1 had some most en-
joyable sport with Abdullal’s son, by name Masti. The tribe
was celebrated for its fine horses, and they mounted me on a
beautiful mare. Weset out with a large retinue of mounted
men and scoured the hills for ‘ Chabk,”’ as the Chukar Par-
tridge is called. When the flankers signalled that they had
marked down birds, Masti and I galloped up and down the
512 Mr. I. F. Witherby— Ornithological
steep, rock-strewn hill-sides to the spot, and, sometimes dis-
mounting, sometimes not, took our shots as the birds rose.
To me it was quite a novel method of Partridge-shooting and
the most exciting I have ever tried. The faultless way in
which the horses galloped over stones and boulders was,
perhaps, the most surprising part of the entertainment.
Amongst a race of fine riders and good shots, Masti of the
Farsi Medun Iliyats was noted. With a rifle he could hit
five out of six stones thrown into the air. With a shot-
gun he was equally clever, and I have seen him canter up
to a Calandra Lark and shoot it as he passed when it rose
from the ground.
Leaving these Iliyat friends with some regret we rode
straight for the Kuh-i-Dinar. At first no way over the
mountain was apparent, but as we got nearer to its base a
gap opened out, and we passed into a track which led over a
narrow neck connecting two of the highest peaks of the
range. We had now left the grass-lands behind us and were
clambering up a rock-strewn path hemmed in on either side
by frowning precipices. Crossing many a steep slope of
shingle we reached at about 9000 feet the first patch of snow,
and then slope after slope of deep snow was encountered.
Although it was the middle of the day, and the sun was
broiling hot, these patches of snow were hard and our mules
passed over them without difficulty. The top of the pass—
the Gardan-i-Bijan, as it is called—my aneroid measured as
10.150 feet. To the east we could see the rolling grassy
country of the Iliyats, while in tront of us, to the west, the
panorama was strikingly different. Here we looked across
ridge after ridge of hard grey rock separated by narrow
valleys, and as far as the eye could see the oak tree flourished
and clothed both hill and gorge. Of birds on this pass
there were but few. Chukar Partridges were present as
everywhere, and at the very summit of the “ Gardan”’ were
a few small bushes and a stunted tree inhabited by a pair of
homely Blackbirds and a couple of Tom-Tits. But the birds
which interested me most were the Snow-Finches, which flitted
like Snow-Buntings about the slopes of snow, and a pair of
Aceentors, which I saw on returning to the top of the pass
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 513
the next day. We descended the western side to about
8300 feet, and then camped some 1000 feet above the little
village of Sisakht.
The people about Dinar had seen “ Faranghis”’ before.
About 25 years ago a “ Faranghi” had come and climbed
to the top of Dinar (the roof of the world they called it). I
asked why he bad done so, and they all answered, “To find
a certain herb which had the power of turning everything
into gold.” When asked why they did not search for this
plant, they answered, “The Faranghi alone knew where it
grew and how to use it. Have you also come for this plant ? ”
This traveller must have been Captain (now Sir Edward)
Durand, while Colonel M. 8. Bell, V.C., has also crossed the
Gardan-i- Bijan.
From our camp on the west side of the Kuh-i-Dinar we
descended to the oak-woods, and travelled for some days over
steep ridges and down deep gorges until we came to the
Khersun River, where the track was somewhat easier. A
day’s march further on we came to a fine valley where the
oak trees grew more luxuriantly than usual. Here, near
Chinar, we had some varied experiences. We were camped
amongst the trees in a good place for birds, and I was par-
ticularly anxious to stay some days in order to get specimens
especially of Tawny Owls and Green Woodpeckers, of which
there were a few in the vicinity. But everything seemed
against us. On the second night we were visited by robbers,
who got clear away, owing to its being moonless and, conse-
quently, very dark in the wood where we were camped. The
next morning I sent Camburn to complain to the chief at
Chinar, some ten miles distant. But when he arrived within
five hundred yards of the village he was fired at from a fort,
and such good practice was made that he and his escort were
forced to retire. The next night we proposed to give the
robbers a warm reception. I placed sentries, and to give
courage to our men armed our chief servant, Hassan, with
a 12-bore, telling him to be sure to fire into the air and not to
aim at anyone. In the middle of the night we were awakened
by great shouting, and on jumping out of the tent found that
one of the seutries had suddenly arisen to see the most
514, Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
valuable mule being taken off by a robber. He had
promptly picked up a large stone and, aiming at the robber,
had hit the muleinstead. But this had had the desired effect,
for the mule on being hit had reared up and got loose, though
the robber had made off before we could get out of the tent.
Then Hassan came to me and said, “This gun no good. I
had him pointed at robber and he no go off.” It was re-
markable that both cartridges had missed fire and that they
alone did so only out of five or six hundred which were used
in all. Besides these little annoyances, almost every hour
of the day and night provided a different species of fly with
a different way of biting, and my hands became so swollen
that I could scarcely hold a gun, while one of my eyes was
completely closed. But what eventually drove us away from
this camp was want of food. It appeared that the chief of
the district had feared that he would not get reappointed by
the new governor of Shiraz. Accordingly he had sent all the
people of his village into the hills, and having placed some
thirty armed men in his castle, had told them to fire at anyone
who came near in case they should be the party of a new
chief. The country being thus deserted we could get no food,
and when our pet kid, which had cleverly balanced himself
on the top of a pack mule for many a day’s march, had
been reluctantly killed and eaten, we had to leave.
We steered southwards, and as we passed within sight of
the Chinar fort the chief’s ‘‘tufangchis ” (literally chiefs of
the gun), acting strictly according to their master’s orders,
fired at our peaceful caravan until we turned a corner and
were hidden from them. Although the range was fully half
a mile, their shooting was excellent, the bullets striking
within a few yards of us, and two actually passing under the
bellies of the mules. I may here remark that the only bad
treatment we received in Persia was in this district. On my
reporting the circumstances to Colonel Kemball he made
complaints to the Governor of Shiraz, but, so far as I know,
the chief of Chinar has not been made to suffer. A cannon
which was sent to reduce his fort retnrned to Shiraz without
accomplishing anything.
Between Chinar and Bija (see map, p. 501) we had some
15
on
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia.
very difficult travelling through an unknown country inter-
sected by narrow gorges. At one place near Bija, in two long
days of hard work we advanced only some ten miles. From
Chinar to a point near Bija, the altitude ranged from six
to nine thousand feet above sea-level. After Bija it began
gradually to decrease, and the rocky ridges and gorges gave
way to gentler slopes, until at a little beyond Basht the
oak-woods ceased and we reached some plains at rather over
8000 feet.
Here, as will be seen from the map, we doubled on our
former tracks. It was the middle of June, the corn was cut
and the country was parched, and for the most part burning,
the smoke being so dense that the hills were hidden from
view. In the mountains a cool breeze was generally blowing,
so that although the sun was powerful the temperature in the
shade rarely exceeded 90° Fahr., while at night it averaged
40° to 50°, and at the end of April sank as low as 21°. On
reaching the plains it will be understood that we felt the heat
intensely, and therefore travelled by night straight to the coast.
By means of forced marches, which involved some exciting
experiences with the muleteers, we managed to reach Bushire
in time to catch the steamer which left for Bombay on
June 23rd. Our homeward voyage was none too pleasant, the
damp heat of the Persian Gulf being very trying, while in
the Indian Ocean we were treated to some heavy monsoon
weather.
I must not omit to state that throughout our journey
Mr. Camburn proved a most admirable assistant and com-
panion. The skins which he made, often under most adverse
conditions, have justly met with universal admiration,
In addition to friends I have already mentioned, I have to
thank Dr. W. T. Blanford, F.R.S., and Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-
Grant for having recommended $8.W. Persia to me as an
ornithological hunting-ground; Mr. B. T. Ffinch, C.I.E.,
Mr.C. A. Buchanan, and Major P. Molesworth Sykes, C.M.G.,
for much help and advice before I started from England ;
Dr. and Mrs. J. Scott, of Shiraz, and various officials of the
Indo-European Telegraph Department for their kindness in
Persia.
516 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
The birds of Persia were dealt with in a very thorough
and careful manner by Dr. W. T. Blanford in the second
volume of ‘ Eastern Persia’ (1876). The total number of
species enumerated by Dr. Blanford was 384. Of these some
16 were either doubtfully distinct or of very uncertain
occurrence in Persia. In ‘ The Ibis’ for 1886 and 1891, Dr.
Sharpe described collections made by Mr. W. D. Cumming
at lao, at the head of the Persian Gulf, which, although not
actually in Persian territory, may be reckoned such so far
as the birds go. In the same Journal for 1886 (p. 493)
Dr. Sharpe also described a collection made by Mr. A. J. V.
Palmer at Bushire. These collections resulted in the addition
of some 20 species to the avifauna of Persia, Of the total
obtained from these sources I make 158 species, and am
able to add only the following to the list of Persian
birds, viz. :—Lullula arborea, Emberiza schaniclus, Accentor
jerdoni, Dendrocopus minor, and Syrnium aluco. The
avifauna of Persia may thus be reckoned roughly at 400
species. This estimate, however, does not take into account
the work of Mr. Zarudny, who has lately made extensive
collections in Eastern Persia, but whose results have been
communicated in Russian, a language with which I am not
familiar,
Dr. Blanford divided Persia into five zoological regions,
making a distinct region for “the wooded slopes of the
Zagros, including the oak-forest near Shiraz.” In this, so
far as my observations go, I think that he was perfectly
correct, for the avifauna of this region seems distinct from that
of the Caspian provinces; but how much further north than
I travelled this peculiar avifauna extends I am unable to
say. As already explained, the characteristic birds of these
oak-woods are Palsearctic species, while those of the plains
near the coast are a strange mixture of Palearctic and
Indian with one or two North-east African forms. It is
also worthy of remark that at the highest altitude we reached,
Palearctic, Indian, and African birds were seen side by side
(viz. Turdus merula, Accentor jerdoni, Erithacus gutturalis).
There are, I suppose, very few distinct species of Palearctic
birds yet to be described, but the work of distinguishing the
Journey in Fars, SW. Persia. 517
various races of known species and tracing their geographical
distribution is of equal interest and importance. Work of
this character, will, I believe, prove of great assistance in
determining the exact migrations of birds, and it is at all
events leading us to a clearer idea of the evolution of species.
Could the causes which produce these races be more
thoroughly investigated, results of much importance might
be obtained. My collection of birds from Persia is of con-
siderable interest, for it contains many “ intermediate ”’ and
more or less local forms. The mest striking feature in the
collection is the pale coloration of so many of the birds.
This feature, which was noticed by Dr. Blanford, is equally
apparent in birds inhabiting the woods and in those belonging
to the open country. Indeed, of the species I have already
enumerated as peculiar to the oak-forests, all are distin-
guished from the nearly allied forms by their pale coloration.
The birds are in most cases pale, on the under as well
as on the upper side, and they tend to become of an ashy
hue and not of a sandy colour like desert forms. This can
only be due, I think, to some physical cause, for I cannot
see that a pale coloration is of more advantage to these birds
than to those inhabiting, for instance, Southern Europe.
Mr. Oldfield Thomas informs me that the few mammals (e. g.
Sciurus fulvus, Mus sylvaticus witherbyi) which I brought
back are also remarkable for their pale coloration, and I
cannot but think that there is some extraordinary bleaching-
quality in the atmosphere of this region.
In the preparation of the list of birds which follows I am
greatly indebted for help and advice to Dr. R. Bowdler
Sharpe and to Mr. Ernst Hartert.
No specimens were obtained of the species marked with
an asterisk.
1, *Pyrruocorax GRacuLus (Linn.); Blanf. Eastern
Persia, vol. 11. (1876) p. 264.
The Red-legged Chough was seen hopping about on the
grass in many of the valleys and flying in airy and cheerful
fashion about most of the rocky hills at altitudes of from
518 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
3060 ft. to 10,000 ft. In some places the birds were very
numerous, and it was not an uncommon sight to see a flock
of a hundred or more. They always proved too cunning
for me, but I made a point of examining them with my
binoculars, and all those which I saw had red bills.
2. *Corvus corax Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 261.
Two or three Ravens were to be seen in most places, and
in a grassy valley near Shul (about 6800 ft.) we saw forty
or fifty feeding on the grass and flying about like a flock of
Rooks. They were always exceedingly wild, and I failed to
secure a specimen.
3. Corvus CORNIX SHARPITI Oates.
Corvus corniz Linn,; Blanf. t.c. p. 262.
258. g ad. Near Dasht-i-arjan, April 27th.
This pale form of the Hooded Crow was common wherever
there were trees. C. capellanus Sclat., with its large bill
and tarsi and whitish coloration, is very distinct from any
other Hooded Crow, and I think that it will prove to be a
true species and not merely a form of C. cornix. I believe
that the two birds are to be found breeding in the same
locality, for I saw, inland as well as on the coast, Crows
which even at a distance appeared far paler than C. ¢. sharpii.
Unfortunately I was never able to obtain one of these white-
looking birds.
Hooded Crows had fresh eggs near Kalah Mushir (6700 ft.)
on April 11th, and they were incubating near Pul-i-mard
(4000 ft.) on April 24th.
4. GARRULUS ATRICAPILLUS Geoffr.; Blanf. t.c. p. 265.
409, 421. Ad. ; 422-424. Juv.
The mature birds are slightly paler on the mantle than
typical specimens of G. atricapillus from Syria and Palestine,
but I think that this may be due to the abraded state of the
plumage of my specimens. G. a. krynicki trom the Caucasus
and Asia Minor, is, of course, a much darker form.
This Black-headed Jay was fairly evenly distributed through
the oak-woods, but it was nowhere common. It was shy and
even more difficult to shoot than our Jay. The note appeared
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 519
to me to be just the same as that of G. glandarius. An old
bird was feeding its fledged young near Sadat (7300 ft.) on
June 6th.
5. *“OxtoLus GarBura Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 219; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 477 & 494.
The Golden Oriole is a summer resident on the high ground
in Persia.
I did not notice it until May 17th, but after that date I
often heard its mellow pipe or saw it dip through the trees
in many parts of the oak-woods.
6. Pica rustica Scop.; Blanf. t.c. p. 264.
257. gS ad. April 7th, near Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.).
This example has the white on the quills nearly extending
to the tips, while the throat-feathers have concealed white
bars, and the wing is rather large; but all these characters
are often present in European specimens, and I cannot
agree that P. r. bactriana Bp. is a good form.
Like the Starling and Spotted Cuckoo, the Magpie was
only common in one locality between Dasht-i-arjan and
Shiraz, where it was breeding in considerable numbers in a
dry river-bed thickly overgrown with thorn-trees and willows.
An occasional pair was seen here and there in most parts of
the oak-woods.
lod
7. STURNUS VULGARIS CAUCASICUS Lorenz.
Sturnus vulgaris Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 266; Sharpe, Ibis,
1891p. 105.
183, 184. Ad.
These specimens have purple flanks and wing-coverts, and
agree with birds from the Caucasus, but the variations in the
colour of the Starling are so intricate that one cannot place
much reliance upon the constancy of many of the forms
described.
Starlings were by no means common in the part of Persia
visited, except in one locality near Shiraz, where they were
breeding in considerable numbers in holes in willow trees,
A few pairs were to be seen here and there in the oak-woods.
There were young in the nest at 6000 ft. on April 29th,
520 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
8. EmpBeriza HoRTULANA Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 259; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 487, 498.
206, 207, 217, 268. Ad.
These specimens are not quite so rufous on the back as
European birds and are a little greyer on the head, but the
difference is very slight.
I did not notice the Ortolan until April 20th, when I
found it fairly plentiful near Naksh-i-Bahram (3300 ft.).
It was also common about Shiraz (over 5000 ft.) and in the
Berm Firuz-district (over 9000 ft.).
9. EMBERIZA PALUSTRIS Say.
Emberiza intermedia Mich.; Blanf. t. ec. p. 258.
123. ¢ ad:
10. Emperiza scH@nicius Linn.
124. © ad.
If these two birds be of distinct species, it was curious that
the only examples of each seen were of opposite sexes, and
were behaving together exactly as though they were a pair.
They were shot on the banks of a reedy river at Dasht-i-arjan
(6700 ft.) on April 7th.
11. EmperrizA MELANOCEPHALA Scop.; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886,
p-. 498.
Euspiza melanocephala (Scop.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 260.
45, 194, 198, 210, 219, 255, 362, 365, 427, 428, 446,
447. Ad.; 426, 429. Juv.
Except actually in the oak-woods, the Black-headed
Bunting was the most evenly distributed and common bird
in the country. It was found at all elevations, and was the
bird most often used by the Iliyats as a mark whereon to try
a gun.
12. Emperiza mitiaria Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 257; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 497.
209, 238, 287, 349, 358. Ad.
Specimens from Asia Minor and Persia are generally whiter
on the breast than is usual with European birds.
t
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 521
The Corn-Bunting was fairly common in the cultivated
districts from the coast to an altitude of over 9000 ft.
A nest at Shiraz contained young on May 2nd.
13. EmBeriza c1a stracHeytr (Moore).
Emberiza cia Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 257.
356. gf ad.; 357. 9 ad. May 25th, Pa Dinar (7000 ft.).
442. gjuv. June 11th, near Basht (4100 ft.).
These specimens are pale on the upper parts and the facial
markings are white, while the edgings to the median wing-
coverts are buff. EH. stracheyi does not seem to me a very
distinct form, because European specimens are often as pale
coloured as the Eastern, and although they generally have
white edgings to the wing-coverts, they sometimes have not.
On the other hand Eastern birds seem never to have these
white edgings.
The Meadow-Bunting was only seen at a few places, not
below 4000 ft. It appeared to be a rare bird.
14. Linora CANNABINA FRINGILLIROSTRIS (Bp. & Schleg.).
Linaria cannabina (Uinn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 249.
344. g ; 345. 9 ad. May 22nd, Berm Firuz (9300 ft.).
My specimens belong to this form of the Linnet, but the
grey edgings to the primary-coverts are nearly worn off by
abrasion.
I saw only a few pairs of Linnets at the end of May in
the treeless country to the south-east of Kuh-i-Dinar at high
elevations (8000 ft. to 9500 ft.).
15. CarDUELIS ELEGANS MAJOR Tacz.
Carduelis elegans Steph.; Blanf. t.c. p. 249.
70, 197, 235. Ad.
These specimens are very pale on the upper parts and are
large in size, and in these and other respects may be com-
pared with the Siberian form of the Goldfinch.
Goldfinches were numerous in gardens and where willow
and other trees grew densely. They were also met with
sparingly through the oak-woods up to an elevation of
7000 ft. They were lining their nests at Nudan (3200 ft.)
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. 2m
522 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
on April 17th, and a nest in a garden at Shiraz (5200 ft.)
contained the first egg on May 12th.
J6. Perronia Fiavicouuis (Franklin).
Gymnoris flavicollis (Franklin) ; Blanf. t. ec. p. 256.
Passer flavicollis (Franklin) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, pp. 486
& 497.
79, 486, 437, 438, 439, 440. Ad.
It may be remarked that some females have no chestnut-
brown on the wing-coverts.
One specimen of the Yellow-throated Sparrow was obtained
in the oak-woods near Kaluni (4400 ft.) on April 3rd, but
the bird was not met with again until June 11th, when I
found it common in a small willow-jungle near Basht
(4100 ft.). At the latter place I heard one singing a long
and laboured song, which consisted of an endless succession
of warbling chirps.
17. PETRONIA STULTA (Scop.).
Petronia stulta (Scop.); Blanf. t.c. p. 255.
366, 373. Ad.; 333. Juv.
This Rock-Sparrow was met with only in two localities,
both of them at considerable altitudes and of a rocky and
barren nature, viz., Shir River, near Ardakun (about
7000 ft.), and on the Gardan-i-Bijan, Kuh-i-Dinar (about
8000 ft.).
18. Perronia BRACHYDACTYLA Bp. ; Blanf. t.c. p. 255.
191, 218, 218, 220. Ad.
This Rock-Sparrow was only met with in more or less
open country, in which mimosa and other bushes grew. The
bird sits on the tops of the bushes and continually utters an
extraordinary and monotonous note, sounding like the word
‘‘wheeze”’ very much prolonged. The specimens which I
procured were all males, and I think that the females must
have been incubating, both near Naksh-i-Bahram (3300 ft.)
on April 20th and near Shul (6800 ft.) on April 26th.
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Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia.
19. PassER saticaRtius (Vieill.).
Passer salicarius (Vieill.) ; Blanf. t.c. p. 255.
62, 192, 459. Ad.
Specimens from Asia Minor and Persia have the pale
markings on the mantle, the sides of the throat, and the
abdomen whiter than is usual with European birds. Herr
von T’schusi has divided this species into several subspecies
(Orn. Monatsb. 1902, p. 96), but I have not been able to
distinguish the differences between his P. s. transcaspius
and P. s. palestine.
Dr. Blanford considered the Spanish Sparrow scarce in
Persia, but I found it in very large numbers in certain
localities.
Ahout 20 pairs were building nests in some acacia-trees
at Kamarij (2700 ft.) on March 30th. Near Nudan
(3200 ft.) we found enormous colonies of these birds nesting
in small trees and bushes. There were often a dozen of
their large domed nests, made of green grass, in one bush,
and the chattering of the colony could be heard at a
distance of quite half a mile. The ground round about
their nests was very foul and the stench was strong. They
were beginning to lay on April 17th, and I took six fresh
eggs from a nest on that date.
On June 14th, near Nurabad (about 4000 ft.), twenty or
thirty miles from the colony just mentioned, we saw
thousands of these birds, both young and old, feeding in the
corn-stubbles, while the thorn-bushes round about were
weighed down with clusters of their deserted nests.
20, PasseR DOMESTICUS INDICUS.
Passer indicus Jard. & Selby; Blanf. t.c. p. 254
27, 638, 71, 72, 264, 298. Ad.
This pale Eastern form of the House-Sparrow was the
only one seen. It was common in the larger towns and in
many of the villages up to an altitude of nearly 8000 ft.,
but, owing to the scarcity of houses, it could not be called
a common bird in the part of Persia visited.
2u2
524 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
21. MontTIrRINGILLA aLPIcona (Pall.); Blanf. t.c. p. 248.
367. 93 272. 6; 378. gad. May 28th & 29th, Gardan-
i-Bijan, Kuh-i-Dinar (9000 ft. to 10,000 ft.).
My birds are rather pale on the upper parts. In two of
the specimens (¢ and @ ) the bases of both mandibles are
of a deep yellow and the tips black, while in the third
specimen (¢) the whole bill is black. The bill of this
species is usually yellow in winter, like that of M. nivalis,
but Dr. Blanford’s two specimens obtained in the north of
Persia in February had black bills.
This Snow-Finch was seen only on May 27th or 28th on
the pass over the Dinar range. On both sides of this pass near
the top, and not at a lower altitude than 9000 ft., there
were a few pairs hopping about on the patches of snow or
upon the rocks near the snow. On the wing the birds appear
to be white, but, when stationary, the pale brown back exactly
matches the rocks. ‘They were shy and difficult to get,
because by flitting up the mountain-side they could reach a
place in a moment which would take their pursuer perhaps
half an hour’s climb to gain. They seemed to examine the
snow industriously for food, but what they obtained I
could not ascertain. A female had a bare incubating spot
on the breast and the testes of one of the males were much
enlarged.
22. Ruoposr1za opsoueta (Licht.).
Erythrospiza obsoleta Licht.; Blanf, t.e. p. 252.
249, gad. April 26th, Plateau near Dasht-i-arjan
(7000 ft.).
A pair of these very beautiful Finches was found amongst
some willow trees on a plateau (7000 ft.) north-east of Dasht-
i-arjan. We did not see the bird elsewhere.
23. AMMOMANES DESERTI Licht.; Blanf. t.c. p. 245.
53, 460, 463. Ad.; 449. Juv.
These specimens agree with typical birds from Egypt.
Desert-Larks were seen only at comparatively low altitudes
(below 3000 ft.).. They were fairly common near the coast,
and I found a nest with four fresh eggs in a niche in a rock
on a hill at Kamari (2700 ft.) on March 30th.
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Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia.
24, GALERITA CRISTATA MAGNA Hume.
Galerita cristata (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 240; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 467, 1891, p. 106.
3, 29, 30, 36, 67, 68, 69, 267, 283. Ad.; 425. Juv.
These specimens are of a pale and somewhat ashy colouring
on the upper parts, and in this respect are like G. ¢. magna,
but they average rather small for that race.
The Crested Lark was the only common and universally
distributed Lark in the country. It was to be found almost
everywhere from the coast to an altitude of over 7000 ft.
It was commonest, however, at comparatively low altitudes
and in cultivated districts, although it was by no means rare
in many very barren places. I found fresh eggs at Bushire
on March 20th, and again at Shiraz (5200 ft.) on May 3rd;
while young were fully grown at the beginning of June at
3000 ft.
25, *? CeERTHILAUDA ALAUDIPES (Desf.).
Certhilauda desertorum Stanley ; Blanf. t.c. p. 240,
Some large black-and-white-winged Larks, which I take
to be of this species, were running about in the plain near
Shif in the early morning of June 20th. We had been
travelling very hard for two days and two nights, and perhaps
that was the reason why I expended my last six cartridges in
vain on these birds.
26. CALANDRELLA BRACHYpDACTYLA Leisler; Blanf. t. c.
p- 242; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 106.
239, 240, 241, 246, 301. Ad.
My specimens have a rufous tinge on the back and
lower breast, but this colouring is characteristic of many
European examples, and the birds agree in every other
particular with typical specimens.
The Short-toed Lark seemed to be greatly restricted in its
distribution, and we saw it only in the grassy uncultivated
plateaux about Shul at elevations of between 6500 and 7500 ft.
At the end of April the birds were in small parties of eight
or ten, and even in the middle of May they did not appear
to be breeding. Dr. Blanford considered this one of the
526 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
most widely distributed birds in Persia. It may be so on
the plains in Central and Hastern Persia, but, I suppose,
because of the character of the country, it was one of
the birds with the most restricted range in the district in
which I travelled.
27. ALAUDA ARVENSIS CANTARELLA Bp.
Alauda arvensis Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 239; Sharpe, Ibis,
1886, p. 497.
28. ¢ ad. Bushire, March 23rd.
This was the only specimen of the Skylark seen. It has
the paler breast and white axillaries and underside of the
wing characteristic of the Eastern form.
28. Axaupa arporea Linn.; Blanf, t. c. p. 240.
93, 94, 95, 176, 211. Ad.
My specimens differ in no way from typical birds.
Dr. Blanford did not obtain the Wood-Lark, but he men-
tions that Ménétries found it near Lenkoran, on the Caspian.
Lenkoran is just outside Persia. I found it only in the
wooded Dasht-i-Bam, at an altitude of from 38000 ft. to
4500 ft. The birds were in pairs, and generally to be
found “ squatting” very close amongst the stones under the
trees. The males every now and then. flew up into the air
and sang sweetly. From the condition of their breeding-
organs | have no doubt that these birds would nest, or were
nesting, in the Dasht-i-Bam.
The Wood-Lark has not been observed, I think, so far to
the south-east before.
29. MeLanocoryrpHa BIMACULATA (Ménétr.) ; Blanf. t. c.
p- 244; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 497.
248, 299, 300, 354, 355, 370. Ad.
M. calandra, it appears, from what Dr. Blanford says,
nests in Persia at a lower elevation than M. bimaculata. I
did not obtain examples of the former species, but A. bima-
culata was common, and seemed to be breeding all along the
treeless, rolling, grassy country on the south-east side of
Kuh-i-Dinar at elevations of between 6500 ft. and 9000 ft.
This Calandra Lark is a beautiful songster.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 527
30. Orocorys PENICILLATA (Gould) ; Blanf. t. ce. p. 240.
339 & 840. fg ad.; 341. 9 ad. May 2lIst, Berm Firuz
(9300 ft.).
My specimens are typical of this species. It may be
noted, however, that the black ear-coverts, although con-
tinued to the black throat-band, often form a somewhat
broken union, and thus indicate the close relationship between
this group of Horned Larks and that with the ear-coverts
separated from the throat-band.
I saw Horned Larks only on the rough treeless hill-sides
in the Berm Firuz, at an altitude of over 9000 ft. © They
were fairly common in that district on May 2lIst, and the
males were “ bowing and scraping” in pretty fashion to the
females. The breeding-organs of the birds shot were much
enlarged.
31. Moracitta FeLpEGGr Michah; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886,
p. 486.
Budytes melanocephalus (Licht.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 235.
J13, 114, 127, 281, 282, 351. Ad.
In 281 (¢ breeding bird) there is a clear indication of a
white eyebrow, but all the other specimens have entirely
black heads. M. paradoxa (C. L. Brehm) seems to me
nothing more than an individual variation.
Black-headed Wagtails were numerous amongst the reeds
in the marshes at Dasht-i-arjan (6700 it.) and near Shiraz
(5200 ft.), but I saw only a few elsewhere. Some of the
birds appeared to be commencing to breed at Dasht-i-arjau
at the beginning of April, and a nest in the marsh near Shiraz
contained five eggs on May 3rd.
32. Moracitia BoaRruLa Linn.
Motacilla sulphurea Bechst.; Blanf. t.c. p. 233.
Motacilla melanope Pall.; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 106.
31. gad. March 23rd, Bushire.
This specimen agrees with the long-tailed European form
of the Grey Wagtail, and not with the shorter-tailed Siberian
form—the true Jf. melanope of Pallas. Both forms seem to
be found in India and China in winter, but the short-tailed
bird is, so far as I can judge, never found in Europe.
528 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
+83. Moracitta apa Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 232; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 486 & 497, 1891, p. 106.
18. g ad. March 22nd, Bushire.
251. 9 ad. April 26th, Plateau near Dasht-i-arjan
(7000 ft.).
I did not obtain M. persica Sharpe.
White Wagtails were nowhere common, but a few were
scen here and there on most of the streams at all altitudes.
+34, ANTHUS cERVINUS (Pall.); Blanf. t. c. p. 236.
200. 9 ad,
The Red-throated Pipit appears to be a rare migrant in
Persia. My specimen was shot on April 26th on a plateau
(7000 ft.) near Dasht-i-arjan, and I saw a few others in small
flocks near Shiraz, on May 3rd.
30. ANTHUS TRIVIALIS (Linn.) ; Blanf. t.c. p.285; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 486.
166. ¢ ad., near Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.).
212. 3 ad., near Naksh-i-Bahram (3300 ft.).
The Tree-Pipit was seen only at two places on the borders
of the oak-woods on April 11th and 20th.
The birds were in pairs, but did not appear to be breeding.
Dr. Blanford found this species very rare in Persia.
36. ANTHUS CAMPESTRIS (Linn.); Blanf. t. c. p. 237;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 497, 1891, p. 106.
ll. g ad. March 21st, Bushire.
44. gf ad. March 29th, Konar Takhteh (1700 ft.).
The Tawny Pipit was seen only at the two places from
which the skins were obtained.
37. ANTHUS sorvipus Riipp.; Blanf. t. ec. p. 237.
2306. g ad. April 23rd, near Pul-i-mard (3800 ft.).
408. 9 ad. June 5th, near Sadat (7250 ft.).
The typical A. sordidus, from Abyssinia, appears to be
always very dark on the upper parts, and birds from Somali-
land are generally but not always so, while specimens from
India, Sokotra, and Persia are usually much paler, although
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 529
some examples from India are as dark as the Abyssinian
birds. My specimens are both of the pale variety, and were
the only two obtained. Pipits of all kinds were rare in
Persia.
38. AcREDULA TEPHRONOTA Giinther; Blanf. t. c. p. 231.
100, 101, 102, 132, 153, 216. Ad.
These specimens are slightly paler than examples from
Turkey and Asia Minor.
This Long-tailed Tit was confined to the oak-woods, where
it was fairly common at various altitudes. In habits and
notes it resembles A. caudata.
A nest, containing seven young, found in a thorn-tree,
near Kaluni (4300 ft.),on April 4th, might be said to be
made of feathers, covered with fragments of dead leaves
fastened together with cobwebs. The leaves are of a grey
colour and in very small pieces, so that at a little distance
the nest looks as if it were covered with rather dull-coloured
lichen.
39. Parus LUcUBRIS pUBIUs Hellmayr, J. f. O. 1901,
pe l/2.
Pecile lugubris persica Prazak (nec Parus persicus Blanf.),
Orn. Jahrb. 1895, p. 81.
Parus lugubris? Natt. ; Blanf. t. ec. p. 229.
137, 142, 161, 162, 171, 172. Ad.; 237, 384, 399. Juv.
Dr. Blanford has called attention to the differences
between the Persian bird and the typical P. lugubris, and 1
consider that Dr. Hellmayr is correct in upholding Prazak’s
opinion of its distinctness.
My specimens are all alike, and compared with Western
birds they are quite distinct, being very much greyer on the
back and of a much purer white on the under parts.
This Tit was met with throughout the oak-woods to which
it was confined, but it was nowhere common.
At Pul-i-mard (3800 ft.) I saw fully-fledged young on
April 23rd, and again near Aliabad (7300 ft.) on May 18th.
530 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
40. Parus masor Linn. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 227.
64, 76, 89, 104, 147, 148, 178, 179, 205, 297. Ad.; 187
306. Juv.
The Great Tit appears to vary considerably in shade of
colour.
Birds from Cyprus, Palestine, Transcaspia, and Persia
are generally less vividly coloured than those from further
west, the green of the back being paler and more confined,
and the yellow of the under parts being also paler. My
specimens are constant in these characters, but. Dr. Blanford
observed that some Persian specimens had the back rather
darker than European birds. On the other hand, I have seen
specimens from Spain and Greece as pale or paler than my
Persian specimens.
Parus aphrodite Madarasz, from Cyprus, seems to be a dis-
tinct species, and not merely a subspecies, of P. major, for
it has grey flanks, and is quite different from the pale form
of P. major found on that island.
The Great Tit was, with the exception of the Chukar, the
commonest and most evenly distributed bird met with during
our journey. Except on the plains at the coast and in districts
quite bare of trees, it was seen from 2700 ft. at Kamarij, to
10,000 ft. at the top of the pass over Dinar, where a pair
was frequenting a stunted tree. Throughout the oak-woods
it was especially common.
The dates I noticed for vesting and for fledged young birds
were, perhaps, a little earlier than those for the Blue Tit.
)
4], Parus C#RULEUS PERSICUs Blanf.
Parus (Cyanistes) persicus Blanf. t.c. p. 280.
82, 86, 88, 145, 146, 169, 180. Ad.; 307. Juv.
The Persian Blue Tit seems to be a distinct race. It is
generally smaller than the European bird and is paler in
coloration. The white tips to the greater wing-coverts are,
moreover, also broader than in P. c@ruleus.
This bird was common throughout the oak-woods, but I
did not see it elsewhere. Its habits and notes, and its nests
and eggs, resemble those of our bird. I noticed, however,
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 531
that the Tits in Persia had very small broods (e. g. Blue Tit,
3 incubated eggs; Tom Tit, nest of 5 young; Long-tailed
Tit, nest of 7 young). I caunot suggest a reason for this,
as food appeared to be very plentiful. All the Tits had
fledged young by April 23rd at 4000 ft., and by April 28th
at 6700 ft.
42. Sivra EUROPA PERSICA, subsp. nov. (type in British
Museum).
Differs from S. e. europea Linn. in its smaller size, the
distinct creamy wash on the breast and abdomen, and the
whitish forehead, this whitish colour being continued into a
narrow superciliary stripe.
Differs from S. e. cesta Wolf in its much paler under
surface, its white throat, and its whitish forehead. In the
latter character it agrees with S. e. caucasica Rehw. (see
Orn. Monatsb. 1901, p. 53), but instead of being darker
on the breast than S. cesza it is much paler.
Wing. Culmen. Wing. Culmen,
87. gad. 800mm. 200mm. |] 140. dad. 790mm. 190mm.
96. ¢ ad. BOs 200 ,, 14), 9 ad; 800). ,; 1300
97.9 ad. 810 , 200, | 380 & 388, Juv.
Hab. Oak-woods of S.W. Persia.
Dr. Blanford obtained a single specimen of the Nuthatch
in the Elburz Mountains, in North Persia, but it is probable
that his bird would belong to the dark-breasted Caucasian form.
This Nuthatch appears to be very constant in the coloration
of its under surface. In the large series of S. cesta in the
British Museum there is a specimen from Hungary which
very nearly matches my bird, but other examples from the
same locality are much darker.
This Nuthatch was confined to the oak-woods where, how-
ever, it was very common. In notes and habits it appeared
to be identical with S. e. cesia. I found several nests in
old nesting-holes of Dendrocopus sancti-johannis. The nests
were of the usual Nuthatch character, but the holes were
“‘mudded ” on the inside only, and with horse-dung instead
of mud. I suppose the small hole made by this Woodpecker
532 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
was of the right size for the Nuthatch, and therefore it did
not need mud on the outside, but the use of dung on the
inside seemed curious, because there was plenty of mud
obtainable. Most seasons, however, are perhaps too dry
for the birds to obtain mud when they require it, and the
use of dung instead may have possibly become a permanent
habit with these birds. At Kalah-Mushir, on April 9th, a
nest contained seven hard-set eggs which do not differ from
those of S. e. cesia. At the same place, on April 12th, I
found a finished nest without eggs. Young were fledged on
May 18th, near Aliabad (7300 ft.).
43. SITTA NEUMAYERI SYRIACA.
Sitta syriaca Ehr.; Blanf. t. c. p. 223.
Sitta rupicola Blanf. t. c. p. 225.
38, 58, 59, 128, 129, 325, 407, 445. Ad.; 336, 337. Juv.
I can recognise only two forms of the Rock-Nuthatch—
Sitta neumayeri Michah (smaller and darker ; from Europe,
Asia Minor to Caucasus), and S. syriaca Ehr. (larger and
paler, with the breast white or creamy, outer tail-feathers
with or without rust-coloured marks ; from Syria, Palestine,
Caucasus, Persia, Turkestan, Baluchistan, and Afghanistan).
Dr. Hellmayr (Tierr. 18 Lief., Paride &c., pp. 174 & 175)
has distinguished S. n. syriaca, with a white breast, and
the outer tail-feathers either without rust-coloured markings
or with only a narrow edge of that colour. S. n. tephronota
Sharpe, has a creamy breast and rust-marked outer tail-
feathers. But these features are by no means constant ;
all my specimens have white breasts, but other specimens
from Persia have creamy breasts. Some of my specimens
have the outer tail-feathers rust-marked and some have not.
The length of the black eye-stripe is also a very variable
feature.
The Rock-Nuthatch was very common throughout our
journey. We noticed it in the first pass from the coast, and
saw it on the Kuh-i-Dinar at an elevation of nearly 10,000 ft.
It is a most amusing bird to watch, and has an extraordi-
nary variety of loud and far-sounding notes. It can whistle
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 533
shrilly like a man, cry like a kitten, and repeat a piping note
so rapidly that it sounds almost like a Goatsucker jarring.
Besides these it has a variety of other notes, many of them
very harsh, and is an exceedingly noisy bird.
It climbs about the rocks and trees or sloping ground with
equal facility, although it is usually found amongst rocks.
When it sees anyone it stands straight up on the top of a
boulder and bobs rapidly up and down. Young, well-fledged
and well-grown, were in noisy parties at Ardakun (7500 ft.) on
May 20th, and were numerous at various places after that date.
44, Lanivs peatsatus de Filippi; Ogilvie-Grant, Nov.
Zool. ix. p. 458, pl. xxvii. fig. 9.
Lanius fallax Sharpe (nec Finsch), Ibis, 1886, p. 484.
24. g ad. March 22nd, Bushire.
65. g ad. March 31st, Kazran (2700 ft.).
185. g ad. April 16th, near Nudan (3200 ft.).
No. 24 is typical of this species, as distinguished by Mr.
Ogilvie-Grant. Nos. 65 and 185 have the inner webs of most
of the secondaries brown or dusky instead of white; but
in some newly-grown feathers the inner web is _ partially
white. In working out my Shrikes I have followed Mr.
Ogilvie-Grant in his latest work on the subject, but most
of the characters that it is possible to use in distinguishing
the Grey Shrikes are variable and unsatisfactory.
Dr. Blanford refers his specimens of Great Grey Shrikes,
which were all obtained in Baluchistan and S.E. Persia, to
L. lahtora Sykes.
Great Grey Shrikes were uncommon, and J saw only a few
near the coast and in the oak-woods up to an elevation of
3300 ft. They were very wild and difficult to approach.
The bird shot on April 16th appeared to be breeding.
45, LaNnius PALLIDIROsTRIS Cassin; Ogilvie-Grant, t. ¢.
p- 459, pl. xxvii. fig. 11.
on. Gad.
An adult male typical of this species, as distinguished by
Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, was obtained at Konar Takhteh (1700 ft.)
on March 28th. Its testes were much enlarged.
534 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
46. Lanrus mrnor Gmel.; Blanf. t..c. p. 137; Sharpe, Ibis,
1886, p. 484, 1891, p. 107.
244, 265, 286, 295, 296, 393, 420. Ad.
I did not see the Lesser Grey Shrike until April 25th,
near Shul (6800 ft.).. It was common at Shiraz, and else-
where it was locally distributed up to an altitude of about
6800 ft. Judging by the organs of the birds shot, it does
not breed before the end of May or beginning of June. It
is very much tamer than other Grey Shrikes.
47. Lanius cotturio Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 187; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 485 & 497, 18y1, p. 107.
338. Juv.
Dr. Blanford did not meet with the Red-backed Shrike,
and considered it probable that it was only to be found in
North-eastern Persia. Mr. Palmer obtained one specimen
at Bushire (Sharpe, ¢. c.), and I obtained an immature
example, which appeared to be alone, on May 28th, near
Ardakun (7000 ft.). I also winged a mature male, near
Shiraz, on April 30th, but was unable to retrieve it owing to
the vagaries of a mule. The bird must be rare in this part
of Persia.
48. Lanius nuBicus Licht.; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 485,
SOL ps LOZ.
73, 84, 90, 164. Ad.; 441. Juv.
Curiously enough, Dr. Blanford does not mention the
Masked Shrike. Mr. Cumming considered it migratory at
Fao (Sharpe, ¢. ¢.). I found it common and breeding in
the oak-woods at various elevations. A nest near Naksh-i-
Bahram (3400 ft.) contained three fresh eggs on April 20th,
and near Basht (4000 ft.) there were full-fledged young on
June 10th.
49. Lanius rurus Gmel.; Ogilvie-Grant, t.c. p. 465.
Lanius auriculatus Miull.; Blanf. t.c. p. 188; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 485 & 497, 1891, p. 107.
156, 157, 193, 203, 457. Ad.; 454. Juv.
My female specimens are pale on the head and back, and
all the examples have white bases to the middle tail-feathers.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 535
This form of the Woodchat was fairly common in the more
southern parts of the country we traversed, but I did not
notice it north of Tol-i-safid. Dr. Blanford obtained Wood-
chats (presumably of this species) near Shiraz only, while
the birds found by De Filippi in North Persia may have
been L. pomeranus, but Mr. Ogilvie-Grant does not include
North Persia in the range of either species.
50. Lanrus pH@nicuroivEs Severtz.; Ogilvie-Grant, Nov.
Zool. ix. p. 486 et p. xi; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 485.
? Lanius isabellinus Hempr. & Ehr.; Blanf. t. c. p. 139.
19. gad. March 22nd, Bushire.
199. gad. April 19, near Nudan (3200 ft.).
410. gad. June 6th, near Sadat (7250 ft.).
My specimens are sandy grey on the back and pale rufous
on the head, while from his description it appears that all
those obtained by Dr. Blanford had rufous heads.
The distinction between this species and the next is, how-
ever, 1 some specimens, very obscure, and it is doubtful
whether Mr. Ogilvie-Grant is well advised in separating the
rufous-headed examples.
This Shrike was by no means common, and I saw it only
occasionally at various altitudes in the oak-woods. The
specimen No. 199 appeared to be breeding.
51. Lantus tsapeL~tinus Hempr. & Ehr.; Ogilvie-Grant,
t. c. p. 482.
51. 9 ad. March 29th, Konar Takhteh (1700 ft.).
This specimen is of a pale and uniform sandy-grey colour
on the head and back, and the upper tail-coverts and tail are
pale rufous.
52. ArcyA HuTTONI (Blyth); Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 484,
1891, p. 110.
Crateropus (Chatorhea) huttoni (Blyth); Blanf. t. c. p. 203.
42, 43, 214. Ad.
This Babbier was common on the plains below 3500 ft.
It has a piping note and the same habits as 4. acacia. A
nest, built about five feet from the ground in a mimosa-bush
536 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
near Naksh-i-Bahram (3400 ft.), contained three eggs on
April 20th. I watched the bird return silently and stealthily
to the nest. On dissection it proved to be the male.
53. BurNESIA GRACILIS LEPIDA (Blyth).
Drymeca gracilis (Licht.) ; Blanf. t. ec. p. 206.
Burnesia lepida (Blyth); Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, pp. 484 &
496, 1891, p. 109.
14. g ad.; 23. g ad. March 22nd, Bushire.
189. gad. April 17th, near Nudan (3500 ft.).
This charming little bird was fairly common in the fields
in the valleys between Bushire and Shiraz. In flight it
looks like a bit of straw blown hither and thither by the
wind. Besides a squeaky ‘zit-zit” note and a locust-like
song, it makes a curious small sucking noise as it hovers
and flits over the corn. Its habits of flitting the wings and
jerking the tail from side to side when perched reminded
me much of Spiloptila clamans. A nest, made of dry grass
and feathers and lined with seed-down, and shaped lke that
of a Long-tailed Tit, was found in a clump of short reeds on
the borders of a marsh near Shiraz on May 3rd. It con-
tained one egg, of a pale blue colour thickly spotted with
red. The egg measures 155 X 110 mm.
54. Scorocerca inquieTa (Cretzschm.) ; Blanf. t.c. p.207 ;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 109.
180. gad. April 7th, near Dasht-i-arjan (7000 ft.).
231, 232, 233. Juv. April 23rd, near Pul-i-mard (3800 ft.).
I saw this little bird in three localities only, viz.: on rocky
bush-covered hill-sides near Dasht-i-arjan, at Shul (6800 ft.),
and at Pul-i-mard. At the last place a party of seven fully-
fledged young birds was seen on April 23rd. As Dr. Blan-
ford remarks, these birds try to hide themselves in the bushes
when danger threatens. They have a faint “ chuck, chuck ”
note. They climb about the twigs of the bushes and wag
their tails from side to side.
55. Crerria sericea (Temm.).
Bradypterus cetti (Marm.) ; Blanf. t.c. p. 200.
Cettia orientalis Tristr.; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 108.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 537
226. g. April 29th, near Shiraz (about 6000 ft.).
328. 9. May 19th, Shir River (7000 ft.).
In the large series of Cetti’s Warbler in the British Museum
I find as much individual variation in the colour of the western
as in that of the eastern specimens, and I do not consider that
C. orientalis is distinct either as a species or a subspecies.
By the sides of streams and in dry river-beds, where bushes
grew thickly, Cetti’s Warbler was common from 3000 ft.
to over 9000 ft. I seldom saw the bird distinctly, but its
unmistakable song, which is like nothing else that I have ever
heard, was sufficient for identification. This song is realiy
wonderful. From the dense bushes or other vegetation
one suddenly hears a burst of loud and stridulous notes
rapidly uttered. Then all is abruptly silent and nothing can
be seen. Again, a little further on, another crash of song
breaks forth from the bushes and as suddenly stops, and at
length a small brown bird is seen skulking through the
undergrowth. And so every time one tries to trace the
performer one catches a glimpse of this little bird, and is
obliged to come to the reluctant conclusion that so small a
creature really does make so loud a noise.
56. PuybLioscorus NecLectus Hume; Blanf. t.c. p. 182.
259. ¢ ad. April 28th, Kalah-Mushir (6700 ft.).
418. 2 ad. June 8th, near Bija (5000 ft.).
Dr. Blanford obtained only two examples of this species,
one at Shiraz and one in Baluchistan, both in winter. I
observed the bird only in the two localities from which my
specimens are dated.
On April 11th, at Kalah-Mushir, I saw a pair of these
tiny Warblers carrying nesting-materials about on a rough
hill-side well overgrown with oak trees. I sat down and
watched the birds. They were not at all shy, and flitted
from twig to twig, uttering a faint single note like that of
a Golderest. Having roughly located the position of the
nest by the actions of the birds, I searched for it and soon
found it between two bushy branches of a small thickly
growing bush about two feet six inches from the ground.
SER. VIII.— VOL, III. 2N
538 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
It was then more or less cup-shaped and partially lined
with feathers. On the 14th I visited the nest again and
found it domed and nearly completed. I then saw that it
was almost in the form of a cylinder, with the opening
near the top of one end, and was built parallel to the
ground. As [ had no idea what the birds were, and hoped
that either they or their eggs might be unknown, I determined
to leave them in peace and return later. This I did on
April 28th, making a two days’ journey off my route for the
purpose. The nest was then finished, being plentifully lined
with feathers, and containing four eggs. The hen bird was
sitting, and while I watched she returned very quietly and
stealthily to the nest. The cock bird I never saw, although
J waited some four hours for him, so I secured the hen.
It was raining and blowing hard, and so small and inconspi-
cuous a bird it was difficult to see among the moving leaves.
The eggs were very slightly incubated, and the bird’s ovaries
were small, so I presume that she had finished laying. The
time occupied by the building of the nest must have been a
fortnight or more. It was neatly woven of grass.
The eggs are pure white, unspotted, and large for the size
of the bird, each measuring 150 x 101 mm.
A nest and eggs described and figured by Lorenz under
the name of Phyllopneuste lorenzi Severtz. (Beitr. Orn. Nord.
Kaukasus, p. 28, pl. 11. fig. 2), if belonging to P. neglectus,
are very different from my specimens. ‘The nest figured is
oven-shaped, like that of a Chiffchaff, and was placed
amongst small bushes on the ground, while the eggs are
described as of a white ground-colour, speckled and spotted
with reddish brown, and distinctly zoned. However, my
specimens are possibly abnormal.
The late Mr. W. E. Brooks has described this bird as timid
and watchful and non-Phylloscopine. My acquaintance with
it is shght, bet neither the birds that I watched at the nest
nor the female when shot later were shy. In habits they
were, in my opinion, quite characteristic of Phylloscopus.
The nest, too, is Phylloscopine.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 539
57. Puytioscorus trocutuus (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 180;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 481, 1891, p. 108.
182, 170, 221. Ad.
The Willow-Wren was seen at various altitudes, but not
later than April 21st.
58. Puy.ioscorus ruFus (Bechst.).
Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot) ; Blanf. t.c. p. 181.
Phylloscopus rufus (Bechst.); Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, pp. 481
& 495.
4, 10, 144, 188. Ad.
These specimens are all, I consider, typical P. rufus.
Dr. Blanford obtained the eastern form of the Chiffchaft
(P. tristis Blyth) in Baluchistan, but not in Persia proper.
The specimen from Fao in the British Museum, identified by
Dr. Sharpe as P. tristis (Ibis, 1886, p. 481), is, I believe,
P. rufus, the breast being tinged with yellow and the tarsi
being paler than in typical P. tristis.
The Chiffchaff was fairly common at various altitudes up
to the end of April, but I have no note of seeing it later, and
think that it is only a winter migrant to the country.
59. Sytvia mystacea Ménétr.; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 108
Sylvia rubescens Blanf. t. c. p. 177.
20, 41, 61, 274, 450. Ad.;-190. Juv.
This Warbler was found fairly common in valleys where
there were bushes, but I did not notice it at a higher altitude
than 5500 ft. On May 2nd I took a nest with fresh eggs
from a small bush in the Bagh-i-Mallock at Shiraz (5200 ft.),
and on May 31st another with five hard-set eggs from a
small bush in the river-bed at Dorah (5300 ft.). Both nests
were within a few inches of the ground.
The nests are slight, made of fine roots and grass, and
lined with still finer pieces of the same materials. The five
eggs of one clutch measure 180X135 mm., and the five of
the other 170 x 130 mm.
The cock bird has a charming Pipit-hke “ singing flight,”
but the song itself is somewhat rasping and unpleasing.
2N2
540 Mr. H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
Both sexes are fond of spreading their tails when flying and
when perched.
60. Sytvia nana (Hempr. & Ehr.); Blanf. t.c. p. 178.
39. 9 ad.; 50. 9 ad. March 29th, Konar Takhteh
(1700 ft.).
The Desert-Warbler was fairly common in the valleys of
Konar Takhteh and Kazran (2700 ft.), but I did not obtain
it elsewhere.
It frequented small bushes near corn-fields, and was as
often as not on the ground underneath them. It was also
very fond of skulking along the bottoms of the “hedges”
(made of mimosa-boughs) round the corn. Occasionally it
took a short flight, and alighting at the top of a bush rapidly
made its way through it to the bottom again.
61. Sytvia atRicaPiLiaA(Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p.174; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 481 & 495.
53. ¢. March 30th, near Konar Takhteh (1700 ft.).
150. g. April 10th, near Kalah Mushir (6700 ft.).
285. 9. May 2nd, Shiraz (5200 ft.).
These specimens and others in the British Museum from
the Persian Gulf are decidedly pale on the upper parts. Two
birds from Fao are, however, darker, and birds from Europe
vary in coloration, so that I shall not separate the Persian
bird. More material, however, may shew that the Blackcap
resident in Persia is constantly pale and worthy of sub-
specific rank.
Dr. Blanford had no specimens, and I saw only the three
which I obtained, and could not be sure whether the bird
bred in the country. I never heard it singing, but the testes
of the male shot on April 10th were considerably enlarged,
although the ovaries of the female shot three weeks later
were small,
62. Syivia curruca (Linn.) ; Blanf. t.c. p.175 ; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 495, 1891, p. 108.
374, 375. g ad. May 29th, near Sisakht (6500 ft.).
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 5AL
63. Sytvia arrinis Blyth; Blanf. t.c. p. 176; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 495.
85. g ad. April 3rd, near Kaluni (4400 ft.).
139. gad. April 8th, near Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.).
I have distinguished these species by the wing-formula
only, the second primaries of Nos. 374, 3875 being inter-
mediate between the 5th and 6th, and those of Nos. 85 and
139 between the 6th and 7th.
The colour of the upper parts varies considerably in both
forms.
Lesser Whitethroats were common in many parts of the
oak-woods, but they did not appear to be breeding, even at
the beginning of June.
64. SyLvia CINEREA Bechst.; Sharpe, [bis, 1886, p. 481;
ISO p 108:
Sylvia rufa (Bodd.); Blanf. t.c. p. 174.
223. gad. April 2Ist, near Naksh-i-Bahram (3300 ft.).
323. 9 ad. May 19th, Shir River (about 7000 ft.).
The organs of neither of these specimens were in breeding
condition, and I am not sure that the Whitethroat breeds
in this part of Persia, though it probably does so. It was
seceu here and there, but was by no means a common bird.
65. SYLVIA ORPHEA JERDONI.
Sylvia jerdont Blyth; Blanf. t. ec. p. 172.
133, 1384, 135, 186, 196, 201, 311, 411. Ad.
Culmen: males, ‘7 to ‘75 inch; females, °68 to ‘7 inch.
The eastern form of the Orphean Warbler was found
here and there from 3300 ft. to over 7000 ft. where there
were bushes amongst the trees. On May 17th I found its
slightly made nest placed in a thorn-bush about five feet from
the ground in an oak-wood at an altitude of 7300 ft. The
nest contained four eggs.
66. Hyporais paLtipa (Hempr. & Ehr.).
Hypolais rama Sykes. l Ls
Hypolais pallida Hempr. & Ehy. J se ties Bee:
Hypolais obsoleta Sharpe (nec Severtz.), [bis, 1886, p. 481.
48, 49, 208, 209, 272, 386, 387. Ad.
542 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
The darker colour of H. rama and the wing-formula dis-
tinguish it easily, I think, from H. pallida. My specimens
are grey, even for H. pallida, on the upper parts.
The specimens in the British Museum from Fao identified
by Dr. Sharpe as H. obsoleta should have been referred to
this species.
The Olivaceous Warbler was especially common in the
more or less cultivated valleys. I did not notice it in the
oak-woods nor above an altitude of 5000 ft. In the gardens
at Shiraz it was nesting in the rose-bushes at the begining
of May, and its soft rambling song was to be heard on all
sides. Four eggs were in several cases a full clutch.
67. Hypotais taneuipa (Hempr. & Ehr.); Blanf. t. c.
p- 183; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 108.
154, 302, 324, 383, 406. Ad.
Upcher’s Warbler was fairly common where there were
bushes either growing amongst the oak-woods or in more
barren country. I did not observe it, however, below an
altitude of 6500 ft. A nest found on May 30th at that
altitude contained four eggs on the point of hatching. The
nest was placed in a thorn-bush about three feet from the
ground, and the eggs when taken were of a delicate mauve
ground-colour.
68. LuscINIOLA MELANOPOGON MIMICA.
Lusciniola mimica Madarasz, Vorl. u. e. neuen Rohrsinger,
1903.
Calamodus melanopogon (Temm.); Blanf. t.c. p. 198.
125. gad.; 126. gad. April 7th, Dasht-i-arjan (7000 ft.).
254. 2 ad. April 26th, near Kherak (7000 ft.).
Specimens of the Moustached Warbler from India and
Persia are larger, much less rufous, and paler than speci-
mens from Europe and Asia Minor. They are also more
striated on the crown, and olivaceous rather than rufous on
the flanks. Egyptian birds are somewhat intermediate, but
should, I think, be referred to the western form.
I saw this bird only in places where there were thick reed-
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia, 543
beds, while its habits and call-notes appeared to me to
resemble those of the Sedge- Warbler.
69. AcrocrPHaLus paLustRis (Bechst.); Blanf. t.c. p. 197 ;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 482.
316, 317, 322, 350, 363, 364. Ad.
I did not see the Marsh-Warbler until May 18th near
Pul-i-mard (6300 ft.). After that date it was met with
commonly from 5000 ft. to over 9000 ft., both in the treeless
country to the south-east of the Kuh-i-Dinar and in the
‘oak-woods to the south-west of that mountain. I concluded
from this that the bird was a migrant and had only just
arrived in the country when first I saw it, but Dr. Blanford’s
single specimen was taken at Shiraz in December. Mr.
Cumming, however, considered it migratory at Fao, where
it was seen in March and April (Sharpe, ¢. c¢.).
70. ACROCEPHALUS sTENTOREUS (Hempr. & Ehr.); Blanf.
t. €. p. 194.
74, 452. Ad.; 455. Juv.
This loud-voiced Reed-Warbler (its notes are even louder
and harsher than those of A. turdoides) was found only
in a few places at low altitudes (1500 ft. to 3500 ft.),
but Dr. Blanford obtained it up to 7000 ft. In these places,
where reeds grew thickly, the bird was common. The fledged
young bird was obtained on June 13th.
71. Azpon FamiLiaRis (Ménétr.); Blanf. t. c. p. 210;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 107.
Sylvia familiaris Ménétr.; Sharpe, Ibis, 1885, p. 495.
37, 149, 389. Ad.
This pale eastern form of that charming bird the Rufous
Warbler was found on all the fertile plains between Bushire
and Shiraz, and in a few places to the north-west of the
latter town.
The bird was breeding at the end of March at Konar
Takhteh (700 ft.), at Do Rah (5300 ft.) at the end of May,
but not at Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.) in the middle of April.
A nest found about 18 inches from the ground, in a small
bush in the dry river-bed of the Khersun (5300 ft.) , contained
544. Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
four fresh eggs on May 31st. The eggs are of a pale blue,
thinly spotted with brown and mauve, and resemble a clutch
taken near Shiraz, now in the British Museum,
The bird’s downward flight with uplifted wings always
reminds me of the beautiful flight of a Papilio butterfly.
72. ACCENTOR JERDONI Brooks.
371. 9 ad. May 28th, Kuh-i-Dinar (9500 ft.).
At first sight this specimen is barely recognisable as being
of this species. The pectoral band, instead of being rich
rufous, is exceedingly ill-defined and of a pale buff colour, the
throat is unspotted, the eye-stripe is white instead of buff,
and the upper parts are pale. But the plumage of the bird
is considerably worn, and I think that this accounts for much
of the difference. Some specimens from Gilgit, in the British
Museum, approach my bird nearly, so far as paleness of
coloration is concerned, but none have so white an eye-
stripe or so faint a pectoral band.
So far as I am aware, A. jerdoni has not been found out-
side India before, and its range in Persia must be limited to
the highest mountais. I saw only one pair, which was
on a patch of snow near the top of the pass (Gardan-i- Bijan)
over Kuh-i-Dinar. They “ shuffled” along in the snow with
half-closed wings, much as a Hedge-Sparrow does along the
bottom of a hedge. Owing to want of small shot at the
time I managed to secure only one specimen.
The ovaries were much enlarged, and the bird was cvidently
breeding.
73. Saxicota curysopyeia (De Fil.) ; Blanf. t.c. p. 151.
343. gad. May 21st, Berm Firuz (9300 ft.).
369. g ad. May 27th, Kuh-i-Dinar (9500 ft.).
The Red-tailed Wheatear was rare, and only found on the
most rocky and barren hill-sides at elevations of over 9000 ft.
in the Berm Firuz region and on the pass over Dinar. Both
my specimens are males; and, judging by their actions and
by the state of the breeding-organs, the females must have
been incubating. Unfortunately, I could not find a nest. It
was quite hopeless to search for it, since the country was
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 545
covered with stones, under any of which the nest might have
been, while the birds were very wild, and there was no cover
from which to watch them.
74. SaxicoLa MELANoLEUCA (Gild.); Blanf. t.c. p. 150;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 483.
1585 16a, 167, 16s 745579. Ad:
The colour of the mantle varies greatly in different
individuals. Dr. Blanford considered this a rare bird in
Persia, but I found it plentiful in a few localities. At Kalah
Mushir (6700 ft.) it was especially so at the beginning of
April, and the organs of some of the specimens shot there
were in a breeding-condition, while those of others were not.
In the oak-woods near Sisakht (6500 ft ) these birds were
evidently breeding at the end of May. Like all Wheatears,
they were shy and difficult to get near. They generally
perched in the bushes and trees, and every now and then
darted to the ground for food and returned to their perch in
a Shrike-like fashion.
Near Tassi (6800 ft.), where this species was common
amongst the oak-trees on the rocky hill-sides, I saw fledged
young ones on June Oth.
75. SAXICOLA ALBICOLLIs (Vieill.).
Sazicola stapazina (L.) nec auct.; Blanf. t.c. p. 150.
ToS 7 aaAd:
The Black-eared Wheatear had much the same distribu-
tion as S. melanoleuca, and was often to be found in company
with it.
76. Saxicota Morio Hempr. & Ehr.; Blanf. t.c. p. 152;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, pp. 483 & 496.
6, 55, 99, 103, 152, 159, 227. Ad.
All these specimens have white under tail-coverts, but some
of them have the inner margins of the primaries dis-
tinctly grey, not black, like typical S$. morio, nor white, like
typical S. persica Seebohm.
This Wheatear was fairly evenly distributed, being
observed from the coast up to altitudes of over 6000 feet.
546 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
77. SaxtcoLa DESERTI Temm.; Blanf.t.c. p. 148; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 483 & 496.
TO re INGE
The Desert-Wheatear was only noticed at Bushire and
Konar Takhteh at the end of March.
78. Saxicoua Picata Blyth; Blanf. t. c. p. 153.
57. § ad. March 30th, near Konar Takhteh (1700 ft.).
453. g ad. June 13th, near Tol-i-safid (8200 ft.).
Dr. Blanford did not notice this Wheatear west of Shiraz,
and it seems to be rare in 8.W. Persia, which is, I suppose,
the extreme western limit of its range. I observed it only
at low altitudes, where it was breeding.
79. SAXICOLA ISABELLINA Cretzschm.; Blanf. t. c. p. 147;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, pp. 483 & 496.
40, 117, 242. Ad.; 202. Juv.
Dr. Blanford remarks that this is probably, on the whole,
the commonest Persian Chat, and I also found it to beso. The
bird was widely distributed throughout the treeless part of
the country. Besides a chirping call, it has a rather loud
whistling note, which sounded to me very “ un-Chat” like. It
has a beautiful fluttering flight while it sings, both the flight
and song being much like those of a Crested Lark. On April
29th, near Shiraz (5200 ft.), a pair evidently had young ina
long winding hole in a rocky bank ; but we very seldom saw
holes such as this, and I think that the bird must usually
breed under stones. My young bird, which is fully feathered,
~was obtained on April 19th at 3300 ft.
—80. Saxicota @NANTHE (Linn.); Blanf. t. c. p. 146;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 483, 1891, p. 109.
7. 6 ad. March 21st, Bushire.
243. 9 ad. April 25th, Shul, 6800 ft.
These were the only specimens of the Common Wheatear
seen, and in neither were the breeding-organs developed,
but judging from the observations of Dr. Blanford the species
breeds sparingly in Persia.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 5A7
81. PRatINcoLa RUBICOLA MAURA (Pall.).
Pratincola rubicola (Linn.); Blanf. t. ce. p. 145.
Pratincola hemprichi Sharpe (nee Ehr.), Ibis, 1886,
pp. 480 & 494.
17, 38, 46, 112, 245, 284, 342, 346, 360. Ad.
The amount of white at the base of the tail in specimens
of this species from Persia varies considerably, and in my
opinion all the skins from Bushire and Fao in the British
Museum are referable to this species, and not to P. hemprichi.
The amount of white in the axillaries is also variable.
Typical P. hemprichi has white tail-feathers with black tips,
and the birds from Persia never have much more than the
basal half of the tail-feathers white.
The two forms, however, intergrade, and, although their
supposed ranges overlap, I am inclined to think that the true
P. hemprichi will be found to be a subspecies of P. rubicola
with a separate residential range.
* Dr. Blanford considered Stone-Chats rather scarce in
Persia. I did not see them in the wooded country, but they
were fairly common here and there in the open country from
sea-level to over 9000 ft. Of those shot, the first with
organs in a breeding-condition was obtained at Shul (6800 ft.)
on April 25th. A nest on the borders of a marsh near
Shiraz contained hard-set eggs on May 3rd.
82. RuTiciLLa PH@NIcURUS (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 163 ;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 496 [part.].
25. ¢ ad.; 26. 2 ad. March 22nd, Bushire.
78. g ad. April 3rd, Kaluni (4500 ft.).
138. g ad. April 8th, Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.).
385. ¢ juv. May 3lst, Khersun River (5300 ft.).
394. g juv. June Ist, Chinar (6600 ft.).
Specimens 25, 26, & 78, and one of those collected by
Mr. Palmer at Bushire (now in the British Museum),
although in abraded plumage, have distinct indicatious of
white edgings to the secondaries. They thus seem inter-
mediate between R. phanicurus and R. mesoleuca. Dr.
Blanford was uncertain of the occurrence of the Common
548 Mr. H, F. Witherby— Ornithological
Redstart in Persia, but I believe it be the common breeding
Redstart of the region of the oak-woods.
A nest in a hole in an oak tree near Aliabad (7300 ft.)
contained eggs on May 18th.
83. RuricILLa RUFIVENTRIS (Vieill.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 163.
Ruticilla phenicura (Linn.); Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 496
[part.].
5. 9 ad. Bushire, March 21st.
I obtained only one female specimen of this Redstart, but
there is a male specimen in the British Museum, procured
by Mr. Palmer at Bushire, and inadvertently included by
Dr. Sharpe amongst the specimens of R. pheenicurus.
Dr. Blanford observed this species only in Baluchistan and
in South-eastern Persia.
84. Dauttas couzt (Cab.).
Daulias hafizi (Severtz.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 169.
66, 224, 262, 271. Ad.
The “ Bul-bul” of the Persians was common in the gardens
of Kazran and Shiraz, but elsewhere it was local and scarce.
The song seemed to me very little inferior to that of our
Nightingale.
A nest at Shiraz, placed on the ground and well hidden
amongst some weeds at the base of a tree, was made of dry
leaves and contained five fresh olive-brown eggs on May 8th.
85. Errruacus Gurrurais (Guér.); Sharpe, Ibis, 1886,
pp. 482 & 495.
Cossypha (Irania) gutturalis Guér.; Blanf. t.c. p. 161.
56, 98, 108, 116, 155, 222, 318, 347, 348. Ad.
There is a considerable variation in both the length and
breadth of the white wedge-shaped patch on the chin, but
I think that this is greatly due to the abrasion of the
feathers. No. 347 ¢ has the breast white, very slightly
tinged with buff, but is otherwise normally coloured. A
male specimen from Somaliland, in the British Museum,
approaches my specimen in being pale buff on the breast
(see Grant & Reid, [bis, 1901, p. 656). A male from Asia
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 549
Minor, in the same collection, and another from Western
Turkestan are pale on the breast. I saw two or three of
these white-breasted birds in the Pa Dinar district (about
7500 ft.) in open country, but was only able to obtain
one specimen. They were in company with normally
coloured birds, and I think must be considered as examples
of dichromatism.
This bird was very common throughout the wooded and
bush-covered country from 2000 ft. upwards, nor was it
uncommon in the treeless grassy districts, wherever there
were a few bushes, and we saw a pair on the summit of the
Gardan-i-Bijan (10,000 ft.).. In its actions it is much like
the Rufous Warbler; it flies down with quivering wings,
singing delightfully, and then alighting “cocks” its tail
and spreads it out. The song, which is of a most erotic
character, is a jumble of fine notes mixed with others of
a bubbling nature, as though the bird were too excited
to sing properly. Both male and female sing on the
wing as well as when perched. In April the males and
females were continually chasing one another and singing
as they flew. When engaged in courting the birds seemed
quite regardless of any one’s presence, but at ordinary times
they were shy and kept to the thickest parts of the bushes.
In the open country they were always difficult to approach.
86. Erirnacus cyanscuta (Wolf); Sharpe, Ibis, 1886,
pp. 482, 496.
? Cyanecula wolfi Brehm; Blanf. t. c. p. 169.
22. Ad. March 22nd, Bushire.
Dr. Blanford was somewhat doubtful of the occurrence of
this Bluethroat in Persia, but Dr, Sharpe received a specimen
from Mr. Palmer from Bushire (shot March 28th). 1 saw
only the specimen obtained.
87. CINCLUS AQUATICUS ALBICOLLIs (Vieill.).
826. 9 ad.; 327. Sjuv. May 19th, Shir River (7000 ft.).
412. gjuv. June 6th, near Sadat (7250 ft.).
The only adult specimen is very much worn. The head
is of a palish brown, and the back uniform dark slate-grey,
550 My. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
but I think that the dark edgings to the feathers have been
worn off. The lower breast is pale rufous, and, except for the
paleness of this colour, the specimen agrees very well with
worn specimens from Southern Europe and Turkey. I have
not been able to examine examples from Palestine, but Mr.
Dresser describes them (Man. Pal. Birds, p. 26), under the
name of C. rufiventris Hempr. & Ehr.,as resembling C. albicollis,
but with rufous brown on the abdomen, and with the brown of
the upper parts extending down to the interscapular region
without squamations. Western Persian birds may be the
same, but my specimen is so worn that it is not possible to
decide. The name C. rufiventris, by the way, is given by
Hemprich and Ehrenberg without any description.
A few Dippers were seen on some of the streams in the
country to the north-west of Shiraz at elevations of 7000 ft.
and over. ‘They were very shy and difficult to procure. On
the Shir River I shot several which were swept down the
stream into a narrow precipitous gorge before I could reach
them, although I jumped hastily into the torrent after them.
The habits and note of these birds resembled those of
C. aquaticus.
The specimens obtained by Dr. Blanford in Northern
Persia seem to have belonged to C. a. cashmiriensis Gould.
88. *Monrticoxta saxatitis (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 156;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, pp. 482, 496.
I saw a few Rock-Thrushes, which were very wild, in the
rocky and barren Berm Firuz region (over 9000 ft.) on May
21st, and again at about the same altitude on the pass over
Dinar. Dr. Blanford observed the bird only at high altitudes,
but Mr. Palmer obtained one at Bushire on the coast on
March 25th (Sharpe, ¢. ¢.).
89. Monticoxa cyanus Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 155; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 496.
15, 16, 34, 60. Ad.
No. 15 is absolutely without spots or bars.
I noticed the Blue Rock-Thrush only as far inland as
JKamarij.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 55]
90. Turpus MeRULA syriacus Hempr. & Ehr.
Turdus merula, var. syriacus Hempr. & Ehr. Symb. Phys.
fol. bb (1833).
Turdus merula syriacus Hartert, Wander. Naturf. p. 307.
Turdus merula Linn. ; Blanf. t.c. p. 157.
Merula merula Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 109.
236, 390. Ad.
Mr. Hartert has pointed out to me how clearly the Black-
birds can be separated by well-marked differences in the
female birds. I have compared my specimens with the series
at Tring and find that they agree with this form. The female
has the bill yellow with a brown base. The breast of the bird
is greyish brown and not rufous as in 7. merula, while the
feathers of the throat are pale grey, mesially streaked with
blackish brown. The male is like that of 7. merula.
Dr. Blanford remarked that the females and young of the
Persian Blackbird were decidedly less rufous than European
specimens,
Blackbirds were seen here and there throughout our
journey at elevations of from 3000 ft. to 10,000 ft., while in a
few places they were very plentiful. I found a good many
old nests, made of shreds of bark, near Dasht-i arjan
(6700 ft ) ; while near Basht (4000 ft.) the young were well
able to fly on June 10th.
91. Turpus musicus Linn. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 156; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 482 & 495.
2. 2? ad. March 2l1st, Bushire.
This specimen is paler on the upper parts than any
specimen in the British Museum or at Tring, and has no
tawny colour on the breast or flanks. Other specimens from
the Persian Gulf, however, are darker than my bird, but
they are nevertheless decidedly pale. It would be interesting
to know where these pale birds breed. There is no record
of their doing so in Southern Persia, and all the specimens
obtained there have been met with in winter or spring, but
I think it possible that they do breed in the country, because
my specimen had the ovaries considerably enlarged.
552 Mr. H. F. Witherby — Ornithological
If the Song-Thrush is not a resident in Southern Persia,
T can hardly imagine that a few winter months would bleach
it, and must conclude that its breeding-places possess the
same bleaching qualities.
92. Pycnonotus teucotis (Gould); Blanf. t.c. p. 218;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 483, 1891, p. 110.
We RONG
My specimens are rather paler on the upper, and whiter on
the under parts, than examples from Eastern Persia and
India.
This Bulbul was common between Bushire and Shiraz,
and I saw a few near Tol-i-safid, some way N.W. of Shiraz,
but I did not notice it elsewhere. Its clear flute-like pipe is
even sweeter than that of P. arsinoé, the only other species
of the genus with which I am acquainted.
93. MuscicaPa aTRicaPILLA Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 143;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 494, 1891, p. 110.
18. g ad. March 21st, Bushire.
148. ¢ ad. April 9th, Kalah Mushir (6700 ft.).
The specimens agree with typical M. atricapilla. 1 only
met with the two specimens noted above, and they were not
breeding.
94. Muscicapa Grisoua Linn. ; Blanf.t.c. p. 143; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 480 & 494, 1891, p. 110.
250, 273, 275, 294, 416. Ad.
Dr. Blanford says that the Spotted Flycatcher is a common
bird throughout the Persian highlands, but I met with it
only here and there at various altitudes. It was common in
the gardens at Shiraz, but did not appear to have commenced
breeding by the middle of May. A female shot or June 6th,
near Sadat (6800 ft.), had fairly large eggs in the ovaries.
95. Hirunpo rustica Linn. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 215; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 485 & 497.
Doar ade
Common in the towns and villages. There were young in
the nest at Daliki (about 400 ft.) on March 28th.
Journey in Fars, SW. Persia. 559
96. Hirunvo rurvna Temm.; Blanf,t.c. p. 215; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 497.
82. ¢ ad.
The Red-rumped Swallow was locally distributed. Incom-
plete nests were seen at Daliki (about 400 ft.) on March 28th,
at Kazran (2700 ft.) on April 2nd, and at Pul-i-mard
(3800 ft.) on April 23rd. The bird seems to line its nest
with feathers before the mud portion is finished.
97. CuELIDoN uRBIca Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 216.
17, 174, 175, Ad.
The wings of these specimens are unusually short, as are
those of one from Shiraz, in the British Museum. However,
I find certain examples in the British Museum from various
localities with equally short wings. Measurements of the
wings of my specimens and some others are as follows :-—
174. g. 101 mm. | ¢. Shiraz. 100 mm.
107. me 102 ¢. Lebanon. 102 ,,
175. &. ‘h
9. Brighton. 102 mm.
Sao ae ee
| 2. Granada. 102 ,, | g. Gilgit. 111 ,,
The House-Martin was common about some of the towns
and villages, but was unevenly distributed. Great numbers
were nesting at the Caravanserai at Mian Kotal (6000 ft.) at
the beginning of April. The nests there hung in hundreds
from the walls and were often joined together in clusters of
six or more.
—98. Corite riparia (Linn.); Blanf. t. c. p. 216; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 485.
461, 462. Juv.
A few Sand-Martins were nesting in the steep gravelly
bank of a river near Nurabad (about 3600 ft.), but these were
the only individuals of this species that I saw.
99. CorrLe RuPESTRIS (Scop.).
Cotyle (Ptyonoprogne) rupestris (Scop.) ; Blanf. t. e. p. 216.
332, 334, 335. Ad.
These specimens are slightly paler on the breast than is
usual with examples from further west.
The Crag- Martin was seen only here and there in the gorges
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. 20
do4 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
and where the rocks were perpendicular, They were breeding
in such a gorge at the Shir River (7000 ft.) on May 20th.
100. Corrir opsoLeta Cab.
Cotyle (Ptyonoprogne) obsoleta Cab.; Blanf. t. ec. p. 217.
75. 2 ad.; 443. ¢ juv.
The Pale Crag-Martin seems rare in this part of Persia.
I saw a few at Bushire and in the Kotal-i-Dokhter (about
A000 ft.), where they appeared to be breeding in the
beginning of April, and also near Basht (4100 ft.).
101. Denprocorus syriacus (Hempr. & Ehr.).
Picus syriacus Hempr. & Ehr.; Blanf. t. c. p. 130.
77, 165, 204, 215, 377. Ad.; 352, 481. Juv.
From 2600 ft. upwards, wherever there were trees, this
Woodpecker was to be found, often very plentifully. Nests
contained young on April 20th at 3400 ft., and on May
29th at 6500 ft., while I saw some fledged young on
May 18th at 6000 ft. As I have frequently noticed with
D. major in England, this species often chooses a place in
the trunk of a tree under a bough which has recently been
broken off in which to bore its breeding-hole. I suppose
that the wood soon becomes softened in such places by the
rain. In notes and habits this bird is similar to D. major,
102. DENDROCOPUS MEDIUS SANCTI-JOHANNIS (Blanf.),
Picus sancti-johannis Blanf.; Blanf. t. c. p. 133.
80, 81, 160, 313, 397. Ad.; 314, 315, 382, 398, 419. Juv.
The young bird differs from the adult in being much more
dully coloured on the head and abdomen, and having the
breast speckled with dark brown.
An infertile egg taken from a nest of young was of a dull
white colour, and measured 240 x 180 mm.
This near ally of D. mediws was found only in the oak-
woods. I did not observe it below an altitude of 4000 ft.,
but it was met with as far north as we travelled, viz., about
SL° N. lat. It was especially common where the wood was
thick, and in some places outnumbered D. syriacus.
The bird has a call-note somewhat like the ery of a kitten,
but its alarm-note is a reiterated “ tack,’ much like that ox
Journey in Fars, SW. Persia. 555
D. major. The young “squawk ” in the breeding-hole like
those of D. syriacus and D. major, but not so loudly.
A hole examined on April 28th at an altitude of 6700 ft.
contained four young about three days old and two infertile
eggs.
Fledged young, as well as young in the nest, were seen at
an altitude of 7000 ft. on May 18th.
103. Denprocorus Minor (Linn.).
381. g ad. May 30th, near Sisakht (6500 ft.).
This specimen is more or less intermediate between typical
D. minor and D. danfordi (Harg.). It is pale on the breast,
whereas /). danfordi is almost always dark, but it has pro-
fuse striations on the flanks like that form. The branch
from the black moustachial stripe, which in typical )). dan-
fordi entirely encircles the face and joins the occiput, is in
this specimen considerably broken. The bill of the bird is
remarkably large, measuring 190 mm. as against 180 mm.
in 1), minor and 175 mm. in J). danfordi. Unfortunately I
obtained only one specimen, so that it is impossible to say
whether these peculiarities are individual or not.
Dr. Blanford did not include D. minor in the avifauna of
Persia, although he thought it probable that the species was
to be found in the Caspian provinces.
I was always searching for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker,
and carefully examined every young J). sanctli-johannis with
my binoculars in the hope of finding it, but I never saw
or heard one.
The specimen above meutioned was brought to me by a
Persian villager. Usually the Persians and the Ihyats only
brought us the commonest things, but this was a notable
exception.
104, Grcrnus viripts (Linn.).
Gecinus viridis (Linn.); Blanf. t. ¢. p. 135.
395. Juv. June Ist, near Chinar (6600 ft.).
Unfortunately I obtained only one immature specimen of
this bird. Dr. Blanford had one scarcely mature female
from the same region, which he described as like G. viridis,
202
556 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
but much paler and greyer. The mature birds which I saw,
but failed to procure, gave me the impression, even at some
distance, of being very grey and unlike G. viridis. The
young birds of G. viridis vary greatly in shades and intensity
of coloration, but my specimen is remarkably grey on the
mantle, which is only faintly coloured with green, while
the under parts have no tinge of green, except perhaps at
the vent, where there is a suggestion of that colour.
Green Woodpeckers were very rare in the oak-woods. I
saw one or two at three places only (near Aliabad, Sisakht,
and Chinar), where there were thick oak-woods at an
altitude of between 6500 ft. and 7300 ft.
The note seemed to be exactly like that of G. viridis.
105. *Cucutus canorus Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 119;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, pp. 489 & 498.
The Cuckoo was fairly common at all altitudes, and often
in most barren places, from April Ist onwards.
106. Coccystes GLANDARIUS (Linn.); Blanf. t. c. p. 120.
91, 288. Ad.; 401. Juv.
Spotted Cuckoos were met with here and there throughout
the oak-woods. They were very common in a river-bed not
far from Khan-i-Zinitum (near Shiraz). A number of
Magpies were breeding in very thick thorn-trees at this
place, and the Cuckoos were doubtless using the Magpies
as foster-parents. The trees were so thick, however, that it
was impossible to climb up to the nests without a great deal
of cutting. Major O. B. St. John remarked upon this
locality as a favourite one in certain seasons. In some
years, he observed, “Spotted Cuckoos are very rare in
Persia ” (Blanf. /. c.).
107. CAPRIMULGUS EUROPHUS UNWINI Hume.
Caprimulgus europeus Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 127; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 487.
280, 432, 433, 434, 435. Ad.
This form is generally smaller and paler than C europeus,
and while both these characters are variable, the two
together serve to distinguish the races, although rather
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 557
unsatisfactorily in regard to specimens from Persia, which
sometimes approach the typical C. ewropeus very nearly.
Nightjars were fairly common about Shiraz early in May,
and we saw and heard them occasionally in the oak-woods at
elevations of between 4000 ft. and 7000 ft. At a camp
near Basht (4100 ft.) they were common on June 10th, and
were evidently breeding.
108. Caprimuteus xeyrtius Licht.; Blanf. t.c. p. 128;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 100.
8. 2 ad. March 2Ist, Bushire, Persian Gulf.
This specimen from Bushire is very ashy and not so buff
on the upper parts as most African specimens. Of the two
birds in the British Museum from Fao, one is sandy and the
other ashy.
The ovaries of the bird were considerably developed.
109. Urupa Epors Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 130; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 498, 1891, p. 110.
321. ¢ ad.
This specimen is rather pale-coloured on its mantle and
breast. The Hoopoe was not common, but was fairly evenly
distributed. A nest in a hole at the base of a wall at Shiraz
contained young on May 10th.
110. Meroprs apiaster Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 122; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 487 & 498.
263. ¢ ad.
The Common Bee-eater was often seen in great numbers
from the coast to an altitude of about 8000 ft. At Dasht-i-
arjan (6700 ft.) we saw none until April 12th, when flock after
flock passed over, flying northwards. I saw some boring
their nesting-holes in a bank at Shiraz on May 6th.
111. Meroprs rersicus Pall.
Merops egyptius Forsk.; Blanf. t.c. p. 123; Sharpe, Ibis,
1886, pp. 487 & 498.
451. 9 ad.
This Bee-eater was rarely seen, and not above an altitude
558 Mr. 1. F. Witherby—Ornithological
of 8000 ft. There were a few at Bushire on March 2lst,
and at Kamarij (2700 ft.) on March 30th, and a good many
near Tol-i-safid on June 13th. At the latter place the birds
were flying about a river and resting upon high reeds in a
swamp.
112. Meroprs viripis Linn.; Blanf. t. c. p. 124.
9. 9 ad. March 21st, Bushire.
This specimen, which was the only one seen, is of the
usual Indian form with blue chin and throat.
113. CypsELus APUS PEKINENSIS (Swinh.).
Cypselus apus (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 129; Sharpe, Ibis,
1886, p. 498.
289, 413. Ad.
The paler colour of the forehead, wings, and tail of eastern
examples of the Swift, although a slight character, is con-
stant and serves to distinguish the two forms. Swifts were
fairly common everywhere, and in some places were
numerous, from the coast to an elevation of over 7000 ft.
114. CypseLus MELBaA (Linn.).
Yypselus melba (Linn.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 130.
414, 415, 458. Ad.
These specimens are rather paler than usual on the upper
parts.
The Alpine Swift was very local, but in certain rocky
valleys was quite numerous.
115. *Aucepo 1spipa Linn.; Blanf, t. c. p. 121.
Kingfishers, apparently of this species, were seen on a river
near Naksh-i- Bahram (3200 ft.), and at a tank near Shahpur
at about the same elevation. I failed to procure a specimen.
116. Crryxe rupis (Linn.); Blanf. t. c. p. 122; Sharpe,
ibis; 189% spi.
448. 9 ad. June 12th, near Tol-i-safid (3200 ft.).
There are only a few spots at the base of the tail in this
specimen, and the streaks on the flanks are few.
The Pied Kingfisher was met with rarely on a few of the
streams up to an elevation of 5500 ft.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 559
117. *Hatcyon smyrnensis (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 121;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 488.
This richly-coloured Kingfisher I also failed to obtain,
but I saw single birds several times in trees and reeds on the
banks of streams, and took careful notes of their colouring
by means of my binoculars. They were far too wild to
approach. Major St. John observed this Kingfisher in winter
at Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.), and I saw one at the same place
in April,
118. Coractas carruts Lion.; Blanf.t.c. p.125; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, pp. 488, 489, 1891, p. 110.
234, 247, 404, 444. Ad.
The Roller seems to be a summer visitor to Persia. I
noticed it at Bushire on March 2]st, and after that date we
met with a few here and there throughout our journey.
Several pairs were breeding in the stone piers of a broken
bridge at Pul-i-mard (3800 ft.) on April 23rd, but the holes
in the masonry were too deep for me to reach the nests. I
did not notice C. indica, which is resident on the southern
coast according to Dr. Blanford.
119. ATHENE NOCTUA BACTRIANA Hutton.
Athene glaux (Sav.) ; Blanf. t.c. p. 117.
92, 131, 181, 269, 270, 396. Ad.
This, the palest form of the Little Owl, was fairly common,
both in the woods and in the barren rocky country, but it
was most abundant in the woods at a comparatively low
elevation (between 4000 ft. and 6000 ft.). Although I did
not see any young, I think that these birds had already
finished breeding at the beginning of April. The bird’s cat-
like ‘‘ meouw ” and its plaintive piping cry were to be heard in
the day, but more frequently at nightfall. It often sits on the
top of a tree, and will then see an intruder at some distance
and fly away, but it will allow him when well hidden to
come within a few yards without moving. I have seen it
sitting on the telegraph-wires and on rocks in the full glare
of the sun.
560 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
120. Scors cru Scop.; Blanf. t. c. p. 115; Sharpe, Ibis,
1886, pp. 477, 494.
119, 120, 376. Ad.
The Scops Owl is always difficult to hunt out of its hiding-
place, and is therefore very seldom seen ; while its monotonous
note of asingle piping whistle uttered at short intervals sounds
to me so exactly like that of the Little Ow] that I have no
idea of its distribution over the country through which we
travelled. I obtained a pair which frequented the telegraph
rest-house at Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.); and near Sisakht
(7000 ft.) on May 29th a boy brought me a female and
three fresh eggs, which he said that he had obtained from a
hole in a house.
121. Syrnium axuco (Linn.).
308. g ad. May 17th, near Aliabad (7300 ft.).
This specimen is very much paler, both on the upper
and under parts, than any specimen in the British
Museum or at Tring. The feathers of the breast are also
more narrowly marked mesially. The plumage is con-
siderably abraded. It would be unwise to make a subspecific
separation on the basis of one specimen, but should the
Persian Tawny Owl be found to be constant in these
peculiarities, I think that it certainly should be separated.
Near Kalah Mushir (6700 ft.) and near Sisakht (6500 ft.)
I heard Owls hooting exactly like our Tawny Owl, and near
Chinar (6600 ft.) I saw two Owls which appeared to be of
this species. I was always on the look out for it, and
_ examined hundreds of suitable holes in the trees in the hope
of finding it nesting. The bird is evidently rare, is con-
fined to the oak-woods, and probably to the highest altitudes
at which the oak grows. The specimen obtained appears to
have finished breeding.
{-122. *Asio accipitrinus (Pall.) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886,
p. 477.
Otus brachyotus (Gmel.); Blanf. t. c. p. 116.
I saw an Owl, which I took to be of this species, on
March 21st at Bushire.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 561
4123. TINNUNcULUS aLAUDARIUS (Gm.); Blanf. t.c. p. 105.
Cerchneis tinnunculus Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 494, 1891,
p- 104.
304, 310, 331, 400. Ad.
The Kestrel was almost universally distributed and in
many places was very common.
124. Tinnuncutus cencunris (Cuv.); Blanf. t.c. p. 106.
109, 110, 330, 402. Ad.
One of the males is quite unspotted on the breast.
The Lesser Kestrel was seen in many places where there
were rocky cliffs. It was especially common in a gorge at
Shir River near Ardakun (about 7000 ft.).
125. Faxtco sussuteo Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 105; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 477, 1891, p. 104.
305. 2; 403. 9 ad.
The band on the nape of these specimens is of a rich
rufous.
There were a few Hobbies in the thickest parts of the oak-
woods at high altitudes (above 6000 ft.). I saw one attack
a Hooded Crow and a Black Kite one after the other and
defeat both most valiantly.
126. Mitvus mierans (Bodd.); Blanf. t.c. p. 114.
Milvus korschun Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 476.
319. g ad. May 18th, Ahabad (7800 ft.).
The Black Kite was the only species of Kite obtained. It
was nowhere abundant, but a few were seen in most places.
lt was often in company with the Ravens and Vultures which
gathered about the much frequented passes, and especially
the steepest where dead animals were always to be found.
A nest with two fresh eggs was found on April 13th near
Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.).
127. *GypaEtus BARBATUS (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 101.
Every here and there I used to see a Laimmergeyer
sweeping in glorious flight over the highest and rockiest
hills. Dr. Blantord did not observe it below 4000 ft., but
one sailed over my head on March 30th near Kamarij (about
562 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
3000 ft.). This individual was the only one that ever came
within shot of me, and at the time I was carrying a 410
bore.
128. AstuR BREVIPEs Severtz.
Astur (Micronisus) brevipes Severtz.; Blanf. t.c. p. 109.
309. ¢ ad. May 17th, near Aliabad (7300 ft.).
417. gjuv. June 16th, near Sadat (7200 ft.).
In the young bird the brown mesial markings of the
breast-feathers are at first drop-shaped, but by the abrasion
of the feathers they become lance-shaped before the first
moult takes place.
Dr. Blanford did not obtain this Hawk in Persia, but he
presumed that a Sparrow-Hawk noted by Major St. John as
a bird of passage there was A. brevipes.
The bird evidently breeds in this part of Persia, but must,
I think, be rare. The female had the ovaries well developed,
and the young bird was scarcely able to fly.
129. *Circus mrucinosus Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 110.
A pair of Marsh-Harriers were swooping at one another
playfully in the marsh at Dasht-i-arjan on April 7th. The
place was in every way suitable for them to breed.
130. *Cixcus Macrurus (Gm.); Blanf.t. c. p.110; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 476.
I saw a few Pallid Harriers in the plains up to 3000 ft.
131. *Gyps rutvus Gmel.; Blanf. t.c. p. 99.
The Griffon was nowhere numerous, probably owing to
the scarcity of carrion. The only places in which it was at
all common were the “ kotals,” or steep ladder-like passes, on
the road between Bushire and Shiraz. These passes are so
steep, and so many thousand heavily laden animals are driven
up and down them, that they provide a continual supply of
carcases for carrion-eaters.
The reason given by Dr. Blanford for large birds being so
very wild in Persia still holds good. The Persians, and
especially the Iliyats, use every large bird that comes in
sight as a target for their rifles.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 563
y ,
132. *NEoPHRON PERCNOPTERUS (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 101.
The Egyptian Vulture was fairly evenly distributed, but
was nowhere numerous.
+133. *PHaLacrocorax caRBo (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 298.
One or two Cormorants, apparently of this species, were
seen on the Daliki River on March 28th.
134. *Pua@nicoprervs roseus Pall.
Phenicopterus antiquorum Temm.; Blanf. t. e. p. 800.
A few Flamingos were seen at Bushire on March 18th.
135. *Branta RUFICOLLIs (Pall.).
Anser ruficollis Pall.; Blanf. t. c. p. 3038.
A brightly coloured Goose is fairly common at Dasht-i-
arjan. They are excessively wild, and everyone with a rifle
shoots at them, but they are very rarely hit, I believe. I
was told, however, that they had greatly decreased in numbers
at this place.
I could not obtain a specimen, nor could Major St. John ;
but Dr. Blanford puts the bird down as of this species, and
I think that he is correct. It has a loud trumpeting note.
+-186. *Anas Boscas Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 300.
(137. *QuerqueDuLA crecca (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 301.
There were a few Mallards and a good many Teal in the
marsh at Dasht-i-arjan at the beginning of April, but these
were the only Ducks of any kind that we saw.
138. *Ciconta atBa Bechst.; Blanf. t.c. p. 297.
The “ Haji,” as the Persians call it, was migrating over
Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.) on April 6th. Near Shiraz, on
May 2nd, many had young standing up in the nests on the
house-tops, while a number were feeding in the stubbles near
Tol-i-safid (about 3500 ft.) on June 13th.
139, AxpeTra MiNuTA (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 296.
297. 2 ad.
The only Little Bittern which we saw was on a marsh near
Shiraz on May 3rd. The “shikari’”’? with whom we were
walking crept up to it as it was skulking through some rushes,
and, throwing his hat at it, knocked it over and caught it.
564 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
It was a female, with the ovaries small, and it did not appear
to be breeding.
140. GaLLinaco MAJor (Gm.); Blanf. t.c. p. 282; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1886, p. 492.
121 ch ad.
I shot one Great Snipe on April 7th in the marsh at
Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.).
Dr. Blanford had no record of it for Southern Persia.
Mr. Cumming obtained it in April at Fao (Sharpe, J. c.),
and Dr. Scott writes that he shot one or two this winter
(1903) in a marsh near Shiraz.
+141. Gatiinaco c@Lestis (Frenz.).
Gallinago scolopacinus Bp.; Blanf. t.c. p. 283.
122. ¢ ad.
There were a good many Snipe at Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.)
on April 7th, and we saw a few on a marsh near Shiraz
(5200 ft.) on May 3rd, but by that date most of the birds,
which are common there in winter, had left.
+4142, Macuertes puenax (Linn.).
Tringa pugnae Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 284.
252. 2 ad.
A remarkably tame Reeve was shot on April 26th on a
grassy plateau (7000 ft.) near Dasht-i-arjan.
Dr. Blanford remarks that, according to Eichwald, this
bird is found on the Caspian.
143. *Toranus caLipris (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 285;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 492.
I saw and heard Common Redshanks at Dasht-i-arjan
(6700 ft.) on April 6th.
(144, Toranus ocuropus Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p.285; Sharpe,
Ibis, 1891, p. 114.
ead.
A male was shot at Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.) on April 6th.
145. Toranus HypoLeucus (Linn.).
Tringoides hypoleucus (Linn.) ; Blanf. t.c. p. 285.
Totanus hypoleucus (Linn.) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 114.
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 565
225. g¢. April 21st, near Naksh-i-Bahram (3300 ft.).
359. 2. May 25th, Pa Dinar (8000 ft.).
On the banks of the streams there were a few Common
Sandpipers. I also saw a good many in the Pa Dinar district
(7000 to 8000 ft.) at the end of May, and it seemed likely
that the birds might be breeding there, but a male shot on
May 25th had the testes small.
Mr. Cumming obtained two immature specimens at Fao
on September 10th (Sharpe, /. c.).
Dr. Blanford observed it only in winter.
1146. *Numenius pH#opus (Linn.); Blanf. t.c. p. 2865
Sharpe, [bis, 1886, p. 492.
+147. *Numenius arquata (Linn.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 286 ;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 492.
A few seen at Bushire, March 18th.
+148. AigIALiTIs puBIA (Scop.) ; Sharpe, L[bis, 1886, p. 492,
1891, p. 118.
Agialitis fluviatilis (Bechst.) ; Blanf. t. ce. p. 279.
256. g. April 27th, Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.).
There were a few Little Ringed Plovers on most of the
streams with shingly or sandy beds. Some seen in the
Pa Dinar region at the end of May certainly had the appear-
ance of breeding birds, and the male shot at Dasht-i-arjan
had the testes considerably swollen.
Dr. Blanford saw a bird near Shiraz in June, and concluded
that it “ probably breeds on the plateau.”
149. Cuerrusia LeucuraA (Licht.).
Chettusia villotet (Sav.); Blanf. t. e. p. 280.
Chettusia leucura (Licht.); Dresser, Ibis, 1902, p. 177,
pl. vi. figs. 1 & 2 [eggs].
276. 6; 277. 33 278 9. May 3rd, Shiraz (5200 ft.),
There were a good number of these Plovers nesting on the
short grass on the borders of a marsh near Shiraz on
May 3rd.
The eggs, which are much like those of the Lapwing, have
already been figured in this journal by Mr. Dresser (/. ¢.).
The nest he describes as a mere heap of dry herbage, but
6
566 Mr. H. F. Witherby— Ornithological
one which I found was like that of a Lapwing, consisting of
a little grass ling a “scoop” in the ground. The eggs
were three in number, and measured 430 x 280, 400 x 280,
and 410 x 280 mm. respectively.
The birds were very noisy, and appeared to have much the
same actions and flight as the Lapwing.
+150. *Hamarorus ostratecus Linn,; Blanf. t. c. p. 281;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 114.
A few seen at Bushire, March 18th.
151. Larus cacutnnans Pallas.
Larus argentatus Blanf. (nec Gmel.) t. c. p. 290.
Larus leucopheus Licht. ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 115.
B. Ad. March 14th, Bandar Abbas, Persian Gulf.
Iris pale straw-coloured, granulated with black ;_ bill
greenish grey streaked with dark brown; legs and feet
very pale creamy flesh-coloured.
Although this specimen has a dark mantle, the colouring
of its soft parts do not altogether correspond with those of
the Yellow-legged Herring-Gull.
152. Larus nemMpricHI (Bruch); Blanf. t.c. p. 292.
A. gad. March 12th, Maskat.
This Gull was common in the Persian Gulf in March,
153. Larus ripisunpus Linn.; Blanf, t.c. p. 292.
115. gad. April 6th, Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.).
This specimen is in full summer plumage, and the brown
head is of a paler shade than usual.
Dr. Blanford considered this Gull somewhat uncommon
on the Baluchistan coast.
From April 6th to 13th I found a considerable flock in
the marsh near Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.), some 100 miles
inland, but the birds had left the place on my return there
on April 28th.
4-154, STERNA ANGLICA Montagu; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886,
p. 493, 1891, p. 116.
21. gad. March 22nd, Bushire.
The Gull-billed Tern was fairly common at Bushire,
Journey in Fars, SW. Persia. 567
March 20th-25th. Dr. Blanford did not include this species
in the avifauna of Persia, but has mentioned that it was
likely to occur there (¢. ¢. p. 294).
155. *? Ratuus aquaticus Linn.; Blanf. t.c. p. 288.
While traveiling on May 15th near Shul (about 7000 ft.)
a Water-Rail, apparently of this species, rose from some
rushes in an open grassy place. I winged the bird, but
unfortunately failed to find it.
156. CotumBa PaLUMBus castorts (Bp.).
Columba casiotis (Bp.); Blanf. t.c. p. 269.
312. gad. May 17th, near Aliabad (7000 ft.).
The tips of most of the feathers on the neck-patch of this
specimen are white, and at a first glance the bird looks like
C. palumbus. But on turning up these feathers they are
found to be of the buff-colour characteristic of C. p. casiotis.
Dr. Blanford’s specimens obtained in June had the neck-patch
buff; the feathers of my bird are much abraded, and this
may be the cause of the loss of colour. Unfortunately I
did not keep more than one skin, chiefly, I confess, because
the bird looked like our Wood-Pigeon and was always
much wanted for food. It was fairly common and breeding
throughout the oak-woods. There were fresh eggs and young
in a nest on June 3rd at 6000 ft. ; fledged and fully-grown
young on June 10th at 4000 ft. The note and general habits
are the same as those of our bird.
157. Cotumsa inTexMepi< Strickl.; Blanf. t.c. p. 268.
329. ¢ ad.
This specimen is pale blue-grey on the mantle and rump.
We did not see many Rock-Pigeons, and they were always
difficult to shoot, and when shot usually managed to fall
down some precipitous place whence it was impossible to
retrieve them. Iam confident that I saw many birds with
white rumps breeding in the same places as the grey-rumped
birds. Is it possible that the grey-rumped bird is nothing
more than an individual variation of true C. livia ? Domestie
Pigeons, even when half-wild, are often grey-rumped,
568 Mr, H. F. Witherby—Ornithological
158. Turrur TURTUR ARENICOLA Hartert, Nov. Zool. 1894,
p. 42.
Turtur auritus Gray; Blanf. t.c. p. 270; Sharpe, Ibis,
1886, p. 489, 1891, p. 111.
260, 261, 391, 456. Ad.
My specimens agree exactly with the type (from Fao,
Persian Gulf) of this subspecies in the Tring Museum.
Compared with 7. turtur, it is very much paler on the wings
and back and much less vinous on the upper breast, while its
wing does not measure more than 165 mm., and that of
T. turtur is not less than 172 mm.
This Turtle-Dove was common in the oak-woods and in
cultivated districts, but I did not notice it, as might be
expected, in the treeless country nor above 8000 ft. It
was plentiful up to 38000 ft. in the first week of April,
but had not arrived at Dasht-i-arjan (6700 ft.) by April
15th, and I think that it must spend the winter on the
plains near the coast.
A specimen obtained at Dasht-i-arjan is a partial albino.
159. *PrERocLEs ARENARIUS (Pall.); Blanf. t.c. p. 271;
Sharpe, bis, 189L ps ihe
A few Black-breasted Sand-Grouse, presumably of this
species, were seen on a sandy plain near Shiraz on May I4th,
and between Borazjan and Shif on June 19th.
+160. Corurnix communis Bonn.
Coturniz communis Bonn.; Blanf. t. ¢. p. 278.
Coturnix coturnix (Linn.); Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 489,
1891, p. 111; Ogilvie-Grant, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (6) x.
Ppa t6s 01705 17 (ES92),.
290, 291, 292, 293. 9 ad. May 4th, Shiraz (5200 ft.).
My specimens are of the form described by Mr. Ogiivie-
Grant as intermediate between C. communis and C. capensis.
I did not see or hear Quail until arriving at Shiraz
(5200 ft.) at the beginning of May. ‘They were common in
the fields round that town, and J heard them calling in the
fertile valley of Ardakun (7400 ft.) on May 20th. I did not
notice the bird elsewhere. Dr. Scott, of Shiraz, tells me that
Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 569
Quail are shot there in January. At Shiraz, an old Persian
shikari shewed me an ingenious method of catching Quail.
His call was fashioned out of a piece of wood fitted with a brass
whistle, which was connected to a drum made of the skin from
the head of a Mallard. By tapping twice on the drum, a
soft whistle, like the note of the female Quail, is produced.
The shikari walks along the corn-fields tapping his call and
listening. Presently a male answers, and the shikari, by
repeated calls, gradually locates the answering bird and
draws nearer to it. When within fifty yards or so of the
spot, he stops and spreads a large green net, which rests on
the top of the corn or clover, and then lying down with the
net between himself and the bird, he continues to make the
call. The male rapidly approaches. When within a yard
or two of the shikari, it suddenly catches sight of him
and flies up into the net. The shikari jumps up excitedly,
disentangles the Quail, and, after pulling out all its primaries,
carefully puts it away alive into his bag. I have seen male
Quail so fascinated by this call that not content to run they
flew to it.
161. Franco.tinus vutearis Steph.; Blanf. t.c. p. 273;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p: Li.
226. ¢ ad. April 21st, near Naksh-i- Bahram (3400 ft.).
The Francolin or Durraj, as it is called in Persian, was
common in the marshes near the coast and in the plains near
Naksh-i-Bahram and Nurabad, where corn and _ grass
abounded, but I saw it nowhere else. The harsh and frog-
like note is unmistakable, so that, although the bird lies
very close, its presence can be easily detected.
162. AMMOPERDIX BONHAMI (Fraser) ; Blanf. t.c. p. 274;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 498.
228. ¢G ad.; 229. ¢ ad. April 22nd, near Pul-i-mard
(3800 ft.).
The delicately coloured See-see Partridge was very local
in its distribution. It was found at various altitudes, but
was numerous only in two or three localities, and I did
SER. VIII.— VOL. II{. 2P
570 Ornithological Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia.
not notice it in the Dinar region. Rock-strewn hill-sides,
whether overgrown with trees or not, seem to be its favourite
resort. Its flight, as it swings round a rock or sweeps down
a hill-side, is very perplexing to the gunner, especially when
he is balancing himself on a toppling boulder. One bird
quite puzzled me by disappearing suddenly and then, while 1
was searching for it, flying up with a whirr from the depths
of a narrow crack in the rock.
163. CaccaBIs SAXATILIS CHUKAR Gray.
Caccabis chukar Gray ; var., Blanford, t. c. p. 275.
Caccabis chukar Gray ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 498.
118, 308, 320, 361, 368, 405. Ad.; 392. Pull.
The Chukars from Western Persia are always exceedingly
pale in coloration. The heads of some of my specimens
are almost white, and the upper parts of all of them are
of a pale ashy grey. A careful examination of the large
series of these birds in the British Museum has resulted in
a resolution to leave the matter alone so far as further
division of the species is concerned. The great variation in
the shades of colour of these birds is very puzzling. These
are not due, Lam sure, to individual peculiarities, for almost
every district for some reason seems to produce a form with
a slightly different coloration. Birds from Mesopotamia,
Turkestan, and other countries are almost as pale as South-
west Persian birds; while those from Eastern Persia are
dark, but not so dark as others from some parts of India ;
then some are pinker, some greyer, some browner. The
causes of these variations are not apparent; for instance,
one would hardly expect from the woods of Western Persia
a paler bird than one from the desert-country of Eastern
Persia. It would be interesting to make a thorough study
of these variations in connexion with the nature of the
localities, and especially, I think, with the prevailing colour
of the ground from which each variety is derived.
The Chukar was the most widely distributed bird we saw.
It was found at all altitudes and in all sorts of country, but
1 think that it was most numerous on the stony hill-sides,
On some of the Birds of Cyprus. STE
whether they were treeless or studded with oak. This bird
is, of course, almost invariably met with on the ground, but
I have seen it perch im trees.
We found fresh eggs on April 25th at 7000 ft., young
in down, with both old birds in attendance, at about the
same altitude on June Ist, and young fully grown and in
small coveys at 4000 ft. on June 15th.
XL.—FKield-notes on some of the Birds of Cyprus.
By Dorotuy M. A. Bare.
Durine my stay in Cyprus, from May 1901 until November
1902, I was unfortunately unable to devote much time to
observing or collecting the birds of the island. Consequently
I can contribute very little to the information that we
already possess from’ Dr. Guillemard’s two interesting papers
which appeared in ‘ The Ibis’ (1888, p. 94, and 1889, p. 206),
and Lord Lilford’s “ List of the Birds of Cyprus” (Ibis,
1889, p. 305). Besides these there is the list given by
Drs. Unger and Kotschy in ‘ Die Insel Cypern’ (Wien,
1865), and a paper on the ornithology of Cyprus by
Herr Aug. Miller (J. f. O. 1878, p. 390).
On arriving at Larnaka, which is the chief port, the first
glimpse of Cyprus, from an ornithologist’s point of view, is
distinctly discouraging, inasmuch as a large portion of the
island consists of flat, or low hilly, country, parched up and
almost destitute of vegetation for the greater part of the
year. In early days the island was celebrated for its forests
‘which not only clothed the whole of its mountain-ranges,
but covered the entire central plain with a dense mass, so
that it was with difficulty that the land could be cleared for
cultivation” *. At the present day this great central plain,
or “ Mesorea,”’ stretching right across the island, which is
about sixty miles broad from Morphou in the west to
Famagusta in the east, is practically bare of vegetation after
the harvest is over. The only exception is an occasional spot
* Encyel. Brit. vi. p. 747.
2P 2
~
572 Miss D. M. A. Bate on some
near a village, or where a well has been dug, which supplies
sufficient water for the cultivation of a garden.
When riding along it is rare to see any birds otier than
the flocks of Larks which abound in the dusty plain, or a
company of Griffon Vultures from the crags of the Kerynia
range attracted by some carcase lying on the outskirts of a
village. These are sometimes joined by the more uncommon
Black Vulture, and occasionally by an Eagle. I distinguished
two species of the latter, and I believe them to lave been
the Imperial and Bonelli’s Eagles, both of which were pro-
cured by Dr. Guillemard. Again, on Troddos, which rises
to 6406 ft., and is the highest point of the range which bears
its name, there is but little variety among the birds found in
the pine-forest. Several of these are restricted to the forest
or descend only a short way below its limits—such are the
Jay, Crossbill, Cole-Tit, Creeper, and Wren. Besides these
the traveller seldom sees any bird but the Raven, which is
extremely common, the ubiquitous Eastern Pied Chat, and a
few Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers, Chaffinches, and two or
three others. In late autumn, when the Blackbirds and
Robins arrive in the island, great numbers are found in
the hills, and during a day spent in the forest on Troéddos
in the latter part of November I could see every few yards
a Robin hopping among the undergrowth or searching for
food on the ground. Although they are extremely common
in the plains, I very rarely saw Hawks at any great height
on Troddos, though Vultures were not uncommon, and
occasionally an Eagle might be seen sailing past. Two other
species which are plentiful in the plains, but which I never
saw in the Troddos forest, are the Little Owl and the Magpie ;
the latter was seen at Prodromo about 4500 ft., but seemingly
it does not venture further than the edge of the forest.
The best places for obtaining wild fowl and other marsh-
frequenting birds are near Famagusta and Kouklia, in the
cast of the Mesorea, and at Morphou in the west; in winter
the salt-lakes at Larnaka and Limassol are also visited by
a good many water-birds. Warblers are generally seen in
uumbers only where water is found during the greater part
of the Birds of Cyprus. 573
of the year, as for instance near Papho, where there are several
streams lasting into the middle of July, if not throughout
the summer. In the spring, when travelling about the
Kerynia range, I noticed many small birds in the well-
cultivated and watered strip of country running at the foot
of the limestone-hills west of the Aghirdhir pass. Another
good collecting-ground is to be found among the hills for
some distance round the large village of Akanthou, on the
northern side of the range, which is much damper and
comparatively more fertile owing to its proximity to the sea,
Since 1889, when Lord Lilford’s “ List”? was published,
the ornithology of Cyprus appears to have been quite
neglected until within the last two or three years, during
which Mr. C. Glaszner has been sending specimens to the
Vienna and other museums. From his collections Dr. J.
von Madarasz has described the Scops Owl and the Great
Tit of the island as distinet species—Scops cypria and
Parus aphrodite respectively (Termés. Fiizetek, xxiv. p. 272).
sesides these, he has also separated the Jay (Garrulus
glaszneri) (Orn. MB. x. p. 163, 1902), the Dipper (Cinclus
olympicus) and the Crossbill (Lovia guillemardi) (Orn, MB.
x1., Jan. 1903) as distinct.
During a good winter, and with ample time for observation,
I believe that it would not be difficult to make several
additions to the “ List,” especially in the matter of marsh-
frequenting birus.
It is hoped that the following notes on a few species may
be of interest, as adding a little to our knowledge of their
distribution and habits in the island. Before commencing
them I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my
thanks to Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe for his continual kindness
in furthering my work in the Bird Department of the
British Museum (Natural History), and for his and Mr, W.
R. Ogilvie-Grant’s kind help in determining some of the
species.
1. Muscicapa GRISOLA.
This bird was found commonly not only in the plains in
spring but also on Trodédos during the summer.
574 Miss D. M. A. Bate on some
2. MoNnrTICOLA CYANUS.
I found the Blue Rock-Thrush not uncommon in the
Kerynia range of hills, on the higher portions and on the
northern slopes of which there is always a certain amount
of scrubby vegetation, and here and there some water which
lasts throughout the sammer. This Rock-Thrush evidently
breeds in the island, for early in June 1902 I saw several
individuals among the ruins of Kantara Castle, one of which
could only have left the nest a very short time. I also saw
some near Buffa Vento about the same date, and during the
winter I observed others in many different places in these hills.
3. RuvTIicILLA PHENICURUS.
I saw a few Redstarts among the pine-trees on Troddos
during the summer, and in winter I found them common in
the low hills north of Nikosia.
4, SAXICOLA MORIO.
This is most certainly, as Lord Lilford remarks, the
characteristic Chat of Cyprus, and is one of the commonest
birds all over the island from the sea-level to the top of
Olympus, over 6000 ft.
Specimens procured on Troddos in summer appear to be
unusually dark in colour on the back.
5. SAXICOLA FINSCHI.
It seems curious that Dr. Guillemard, during his two visits
to Cyprus, should only have met with this Chat once, at
Cape Greco in February. In winter I found it not at all
uncommon on the lower slopes of the Kerynia range, and
also met with it in the Larnaka district, and once near
Papho. It evidently arrives in the island about the end of
October, as I first saw it at that time both in 190] and 1902.
The latest date on which it was observed in the spring was on
March 23rd close to Papho.
I only succeeded in securing one specimen of this Chat (a
fine male), for it is very wary, keeping well out of gun-shot,
although when riding I was often able to approach it within a
few yards.
Though there might be a number of these Chats on a hiil-
of the Birds of Cyprus, — 5793
side, they almost invariably went about singly or at most
in pairs. It would seem as if when once an individual settled
anywhere it remained within a short distance of the same
place, for I noticed that wherever one had been seen I was
certain to find it again,
6. HypoLars PALLIDA.
This Warbler is very common all over the island, and near
Papho numbers of nests were found, built in the brambles
and bushes overrunning the steep banks of the streams.
Eggs were found hard-sect on the 8th of May, but were
also procured fresh up to the 4th of June. The old bird
sits very closely, almost allowing itself to be touched while
on the nest.
7. SYLVIA MELANOTHORAX.
Lord Lilford and Dr. Guillemard seem to have found this
bird chiefly in the low country wherever there was sufficient
scrubby vegetation, though the latter mentions having shot
specimens “from the sea-level up to 2000 ft. or more in
altitude.” Mr. Glaszner has procured specimens from
Stavro Vouni, in the Larnaka district, which rises to 2260 ft.
above the sea.
There is a specimen in the British Museum, which was
procured by Mr. Pearse in November at Kykkou, at about
4300 ft., and in the summer I found the bird common on
Troddos at 4600 ft. There it spends its time skulking among
the iow ilex, arbutus, and other shrubs, moving about always
very near to, and sometimes on, the ground.
Thus it is evident that it is distributed over the whole
of the island wherever suitable vegetation prevails.
8. TROGLODYTES CYPRIOTES.
Anorthura cypriotes, Bate, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 51 (1903).
Unfortunately I have only been able to examine five
skins of this bird from Cyprus, but, so far as it is pos-
sible to judge from such scanty material, it is believed
to be sufficiently distinct to be described as a new species,
As already mentioned in the ‘ Bulletin of the British
576 Miss D. M. A. Bate on some
Ornithologists Club,’ it differs from the typical form in
being more extensively barred on both the upper and under
surface, while the tail is only slightly more rufous than the
back, and in the general brown colour of the upper parts
and flanks being of a more chestnut shade. It may be
described as foilows :—
Head, neck, and back reddish brown, the mantle, entire
back, and wing-coverts marked with irregular dusky black
bars. Rump and tail only slightly more rufous than the
back, the tail marked with slightly irregular dark brown
bars, of which there are about nine visible on the central
feathers. Lores and ear-coverts lighter than the crown of
the head, the latter having darker markings to the feathers.
There is also a distinct light eyebrow. Chin, throat, breast,
and abdomen pale brownish white, the throat slightly marked
with dusky bars, the rest of the under parts crossed by narrow
transverse bars of dusky black; under tail-coverts similar,
but having strongly marked white tips to the feathers.
Planks and axillaries washed with rufous brown. Primaries
dark brown, the outer web darkest and crossed by transverse
bars of pale brownish wnite, which are visible on the under
surface. The metacarpal region and under wing-coverts
brownish white with narrow, dark brown bars. — Irides
hrown, legs and feet, light brown. ‘Total length 3°7 inches ;
wing 2°8; tail 1:3; culmen 0°55; tarsus 0°65.
One immature specimen is of a much darker colour
throughout, and the dusky transverse bars extend over the
eutire under parts; it closely resembles some of the
specimens of 7’. neglectus in the British Museum.
This Wren I found plentiful on Troddos, particularly
among the bracken and low bushes by the streams close to
Government House and near the government offices, which are
about 5300 ft. above the level of the sea. Its range appears
to be restricted, for on the southern slopes of the hills I
never found it below about 38500 ft., between Kato Platraes
and Mandria. At about the same height on the northern
side of the range I was told that a nest of this species had
been found near Kalapanyoti.
of the Birds of Cyprus. 577
T invariably found this bird close to one of the streams,
which on Troédos are plentiful and perennial,
9. CERTHIA FAMILIARIS.
The Creepers from Cyprus are of an interesting dark race
which appears to agree with the subspecies, Certhia familiaris
harterti, from Asia Minor, described by Herr C. E. Hellmayr
(J.f.O. 1901, p. 189). It seems to be a constant form, as I
have before me a series of seventeen specimens, procured
from May to October, all agreeing in coloration with one
another, In the British Museum there are two skins from
Turin, one from Bordighera, and another from Switzerland,
which hardly differ from those from Cyprus. On the other
hand, this dark race is not the only form found in Asia Minor.
As, presumably, the Creeper of Cyprus originally came
from the same stock as those now found in Asia Minor and
the south-east of Europe, it would be interesting if some one
who has travelled in these countries could suggest any cause,
such as difference in climate, vegetation, &c., which might
have led to the sole survival or independent evolution of the
darker and the non-occurrence of the lighter form in this
island.
It appears to be a very suggestive fact that it is not the
Creeper alone that is remarkable for the darkness of its
coloration, but also the Cypriote Scops Owl, Jay, Crossbill,
Cole-Tit, and Eastern Pied Chat, all of which, with the
exception of the last named, have been described as peculiar
to Cyprus.
Mr. Heron, of the British Museum, tells me that in the
butterflies of Cyprus the colours are, as a whole, richer, and
perhaps slightly darker, than in the typical forms, and I have
noticed the same thing in a moth—Zumacra flabellaria—
from this locality *.
It is possible that when the whole fauna of the island
comes to be thoroughly worked out this dark coloration may
be found a characteristic feature thereof.
It is a well-known general rule that animals inhabiting
* See ‘The Entomologist,’ vol. xxxyi., May 1903, p. 107.
578 Miss D. M. A. Bate on some
warm or tropical forest-regions are more richly coloured
and contrast markedly with those found in barren or desert
countries. This, together with the fact that Cyprus within
historic times was well wooded and presumably well
watered and fertile, may possibly help to throw some light
on what may be the partial persistence of a former general
darker coloration in the fauna of the island.
Dr. Hartert, in his key to the Certhiidze (Nov. Zool. 1887,
vol. iv. p. 188), gives as the distinguishing characteristic of
C. familiaris with its subspecies, “ Fourth primary with a
very pale fulvous mark in the middle of the outer web.”
This certainly does not obtain in the birds from Cyprus, as
in all the seventeen skins which I have examined the pale
fulvous mark first occurs on the “ fifth” primary. As in
C. f. brachydactyla, the bill is slightly longer and the hind
claw shorter than in the typical C. familiaris and the British
form.
The Cyprian Creeper is confined to the pine-forests of
Troédos, the central range of the island, where it is not
uncommon. I do not believe that it is ever seen lower than
about 4000 ft., and then only where the edge of the forest
extends so far.
10. CoccysTES GLANDARIUS.
During the spring of 1902, when travelling about the
island, I found the Great Spotted Cuckoo not uncommon.
It appeared to be most plentiful close to the Kerynia range
and among the gardens on the lower slopes of the same hills
west of the Aghirdhir Pass. On one occasion when at the
Larnaka salt-lake an individual, which was sitting on the low
stump of a tree, allowed me to approach within a few yards.
11. Coractas GARRULA.
Lord Liford, in his “ List,” says that this bird “ breeds
abundantly in Cyprus in soft banks of marl and sand.”
During the two springs which I spent in the island I found
numbers of their “ nests,” but always in holes in cliffs or in the
walls of houses, and never in situations such as he describes.
of the Birds of Cyprus. 579
12. Mrrops APIASTER.
Lord Lilford was informed that these birds finally left
the island before the middle of July, but this was contrary
to my experience. I shot one on the 17th of July close to
Papho, where they were flying about in large numbers, and
on the 17th of the following month they were said to be still
found on the plains. I was told that about this time they
desert the plains and go up to the hills, finally leaving the
island about the beginning of October. Certainly I both
saw and heard them continually on Troddos during the
summer and up to the end of September, but met with none
on my return to the plains on the 7th of October.
Although I have seen flocks flying about overhead when I
was at an elevation of 5000 ft., I never noticed any of them
settling on trees above the edge of the forest, which is
about 4000 ft. at the point where these observations were
made.
13. PrerRocLEs ARENARIUS.
Both Dr. Guillemard and Lord Lilford mention having
heard of a Sand-Grouse occurring in Cyprus, but they do
not appear to have procured it. The latter includes it in
his List” under the name of Pterocles alchata, which
is that also given in the lists published by Drs. Unger and
Kotschy (Die Insel Cypern, 1865, p. 571) and Aug. Miller
(J. f. O. 1879, p. 385). I only succeeded in procuring one
specimen, from the bazaar in Nikosia in November 1901,
and this proves to be an immature male of P. arenarius.
Although believing Sand-Grouse to be not uncommon in
the central plain, I never saw an example, though I picked
up some feathers belonging to this species not far from
Nikosia. An individual kept in a cage appeared to be
quite tame; but in a wild state they are said to be very
shy and difficult to approach, which probably accounts for
my failure to get other specimens from the bazaar, for the
native sportsman has a great dislike to wasting his powder
over a long shot.
I was told that some of these birds remain all the year
580 On some of the Birds of Cyprus.
round in the Mesorza, where they breed and where their
eggs have been found. It is said that their numbers are
increased in the autumn by fresh arrivals in the island.
14, FRANCOLINUS VULGARIS.
Soon after arriving in Cyprus I was fortunate enough to
see a good many of these handsome birds not far from
Papho, and later was shown a nest which had been found
Text-fig. 17.
Nest and Eggs of Francolin.
by a shepherd. This consisted merely of a hollow in the
ground hned with dead grass, and was situated under a small
bush in the middle of some standing corn. On the 28th of
May it contained eleven eggs (see text-fig. 17). The hen bird
sat very closely, allowing me to fix my camera within a few
yards, and only leaving the nest when I pushed aside some
tufts of grass with a long stick, after which she remained
close at hand, uttering a shrill and plaintive noise,
On a Redstart from Sardinia. 581
15. Furica atra.
‘The Coot is said to have increased largely in numbers since
the completion of the irrigation works in the Famagusta
district. In October 1901 I saw enormous numbers of these
birds on the large reservoir at Kouklia, aud made an entry in
my note-book to the effect that the water in places was black
with them. I was told that they build in the corn-fields
round the edge of this water, and that the natives collect and
eat great quantities of their eggs.
16. Ciconra ALBA.
Apparently the only notice of the White Stork occurring
in Cyprus is that made by Lord Lilford in his ‘‘ List.” He
writes, that when at Galinaporni, in the Karpass, he saw a
large flock of these birds flying landwards from the south,
but did not sce them alight on the island. On October 27th,
1901, when on the way to Kouklia Marsh I observed
three standing in some low-lying cotton-fields, but there
being no cover behind which to approach them we failed
to secure one. After being fired at they circled overhead
and remained in the air for some time, while later we
noticed that they had returned and settled again in the
same cotton-fields.
XLI.—On a presumed new Species of Redstart from the Island
of Sardina. By Hexxy H. Gicrioir, W.M.B.O.U. &e.
On the Ist of December, 1902, I received from a correspondent
at Lanusei, in the island of Sardinia, two small birds,
which were evidently Kedstarts, but were quite new to me
and caused me no small surprise, being totally different
from anything I had seen during well-nigh forty years of
experience in Italian ornithology.
They had been captured alive on the 25th of November,
1902, in a haystack during a northerly gale, at Loceri, a
village in the hills above Lanusei, in the Ogliastra district,
just beneath the Gennargentu mountain group, on the east
side of Sardinia. ‘The shepherd who caught them put them
582 Dr. H. H. Giglioli on a
alive into a lamp or lantern, not having a cage, and took
them down to Lanusei to my correspondent Signor Meloni,
who bought them while yet alive but in a bad plight with
soiled and rumpled plumage. He tried to revive them, but
was unsuccessful, so he skinned them and at once sent me the
two skins and fortunately the bodies also, which he had
dipped in alcohol. He had determined the sexes himself,
and isareliable person; it was well that he did so, for when
I examined the bodies I was only able to confirm the sex in
the male, in the female the genital organs had been taken
out along with the viscera.
The most striking character of these birds is the colour of
their plumage, for both male and female are entirely of a
sooty black, the tail-feathers alone shewing traces of the
orange-brown so characteristic of the genus Ruticilla, At
first sight I thought that they were specimens of R. ¢titys,
dyed black; but a closer inspection dispelled this idea at
once; and I felt puzzled at the strange and unexpected case,
though I was fully convinced that the two birds before me
were specimens of a distinct and hitherto undescribed
species, for which I have suggested the appropriate name of
Ruticilla nigra *.
The two skins were quite fresh, but in a rather rumpled
condition ; the orange-yellow of the inside of the mouth was
fresh and brilhant. The generic characters were patent,
and there could be no doubt that the birds belonged to the
genus Ruticilla. I had them mounted, and the pectoral arch
_and sternum of each prepared; I also got a sternum of an
adult male R. ¢itys, for comparison. Finally, I wrote to
Signor Meloni asking him to get me, if possible, more
specimens of this singular bird, but up to the present he
has not been successful in doing so. ‘The two specimens,
adult male and female, types of Ruticilla nigra, are now in
the Central Collection of Italian Vertebrates in the Royal
Zoological Museum at Florence, where they bear respectively
the Nos. 3906, 3907 of the Bird Series.
I shall now give briefly the distinctive characters of this
* See Bull. B. O. ©. xiii. p. 79 (1903).
Redstart from Sardinia. 583
new form, comparing it with R. titys, which appears to be its
nearest ally.
Compared with the last-mentioned species, the general
dimensions of R. nigra are decidedly less, as will be seen
clearly from the measurements given below.
In the male, evidently adult in full autumn plumage, the
general colour of the upper parts is deep black slightly
glossed with dark olive on the back; quills black, the outer
webs of the secondaries narrowly margined with dark grey ;
wing-coverts black; upper tail-coverts of a dull blackish
orange-brown ; tail-feathers of the same colour, especially on
the basal portion of their inner webs, becoming of a sooty
brownish black towards their extremities, the two central
entirely of this colour; the shafts of all the tail-feathers are,
however, orange-brown, brighter on the underside, where the
dirty orange-brown of the webs is more widespread and
evident. Throat, sides of head and neck, breast, flanks,
under wing-coverts, and axillaries deep black with a very
slight olivaceous sheen; inner margin of quills greyish ;
abdomen and vent grey tinged with black ; under tail-coverts
blackish-olive. Bill, legs, feet, and claws black; inside of
mouth orange-yellow ; eyelids black.
Ruticdla nigra. Ruticilla titys.
—a
Gi oe 3. oe
mm. mm, mm, mm,
Length of wing ........ 83 33 86 84
tails Fics ae 62 2 65 60
”
53 culmien 22... 10 93 ll 10
a USS Gageecs 22, 213 24 23
The adult female in full autumn plumage differs very
slightly from the male, and this constitutes one of the
main features of this extraordinary species, for it is quite
exceptional in the genus Ruwticill/a, in all the other known
species of which the plumage is notably different in the adults
of either sex. In R. nigra the coloration of the female is
the same as that of the adult male, only the black on the
upper and on the under parts is shghtly duller, and on the
latter the greyish tinge and olive gloss are more marked ;
i
584 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
the grey margins of the secondaries are more apparent on
the wings, and the tail-feathers are somewhat darker. The
measurements compared with those of two adult examples of
R. titys are given above (p. 583).
The comparison of the sternum of the two species has
shown differences far greater than I ever expected to find in
members of the same genus, especially in a “compact” genus
such as Ruticilla, in which the species are so closely allied.
Thus, in R&, titys the pectoral arch is more robust in its
general characters, for, in both sterna of R. nigra, we observe
the more slender and less curved clavicles, and the shorter and
thinner scapule; the coracoids are, however, decidedly longer
than in R. ¢titys, but have a less prominent crest. The
sternum is narrower than in the latter species and longer,
the difference being quite a millimetre; finally, the pre-
sternum or manubrium is also larger in Ruticilla nigra and
the episternal apophyses are larger and more slender. On
the whole, we may say that the sternum is more robust in
R. titys, shghter and more slender in R. nigra.
XLII.—A Contribution to our Knowledge of the Birds
occurring in the Southern Shan States, Upper Burma, By
Lt.-Col. C. T. BrneHam.
(Plates XI. & XII.)
In the ‘Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,’ vol. xix,
pt. u. (1900), Mr. H. N. Thompson, Deputy-Conservator of
Forests, and I gave a list of the birds collected or observed
by us during a short tour we made in the Southern Shan
States, Upper Burma. Since my return to England,
Mr. Thompson has continued collecting and in company with
Mr. W. H. Craddock, also of the Forest Department, who has
materially assisted him, has visited various parts of the same
States, including the remote and little-known valley of the
Mékong, and the high ranges, rising to 8000 or 9000 ft.,
between that valley and the Salween. Messrs. 'Thompson and
Craddock have been good enough to forward their collection
tome. It contains examples of many species not seen or
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 585
obtained by Mr. Thompson and myself previously, including
two new species of Suthora and a Urocichla very distinct
from the two forms recorded respectively from Sikhim and
the hills of Assam. In addition, a number of species that
were obtained by us on Loi San Pa, in the Méng Kong
State, are recorded over a wide range from Byinkyi Moun-
tain, close to the border of the Pyinmana district in the west,
to the Mékong Valley on the eastern frontier of the States,
The area in which this collection was made may be
roughly said to extend from 18° to 21° N. lat., and from
97° to 99° 30’ E. long., though only an occasional place,
generally a high mountain, was actually investigated over this
vast extent of country.
My best thanks are due to Messrs. Thompson and Craddock
for kindly entrusting me with their collection, and to Dr, R.
Bowdler Sharpe for great assistance in the identification of
the specimens.
The species not included in the list given in the ‘ Journal of
the Asiatic Society of Bengal,’ mentioned above, are marked
with an asterisk. The numbers in parentheses refer to the
‘Fauna of British India: Birds.’
Family Corvipa.
1 (25). GarruLtus Levcotis Hume.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 39.
Pang Paw, 4000 ft., 8.11.01. Ranges up to 6000 ft.
2 (32). Parus minor Temm. & Schleg.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 48.
Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 5.4.02. Differs from specimens pre-
viously procured at Kalaw and Loi San Pa, and is identical
with those from Tenasserim so far as the extent of the green
on the neck is concerned.
*3, ASGITHALISCUS PULCHELLUS Rippon.
Rippon, Bull. B. O. C. xi. p. 11 (1900); Ibis, 1901,
p. 528, pl. xi. fig. 2.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 26.1.02; Loi Un, Loi Salii ranve,
10.1.01. Numerous specimens.
9
SER. VIlI.—VOL. {Il. «~Q
586 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
4 (41). Macnvotoruus spitonorvs (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 54.
Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 5000 to 7000 ft., 7.1.01. Numerous
specimens,
5 (52). ParapoxoRNIs GUTTATICOLLIS A. David.
Loi Mcheng, 7000 ft., 26.1.02.
Ordinarily this bird is found in high grass and reeds, but
Mr. Craddock notes that the specimen sent was shot in
dense evergreen jungle.
*6, SurHorRA THOMPSONI. (Plate XI. fig. 2.)
Suthora thompsont Bingham, Bull. BO} Co xan apes
(1903).
“©? . Resembles S. davidiana Slater, from Fohkien, but is
distinctly smaller and differs in the points noted below.
Forehead, crown, sides of the head, and nape chestnut, of a
much deeper colour than in S. davidiana, and not, as in that
species, extending to the upper back, the chestnut colour
being somewhat paler along the posterior margin of the nape ;
back, rump, and wing-coverts clear, rather dark, ashy grey ;
wings brown, primaries and secondaries with narrow outer
margins of light chestnut ; upper tail-coverts and outer webs
of the tail-feathers chestnut, of a lighter shade than the colour
of the head, inner webs of tail-feathers brown ; chin and throat
uniform deep black, without the white spots so conspicuous
in S. davidiana ; upper breast albescent; lower tail-coverts
and tail beneath ochraceous. Bill (in the skin) yellow, (in
the flesh) ‘ fleshy pink; irides reddish brown; legs and feet
fleshy yellow’ (Craddock).
“Tength, 9, 3°7"-3:8", wing 2-1", tail 1:45", bill from
gape 0° sil tarsus 0°65".”
Kyatpyin, Paunglaung, 2500 ft., Loilong State, 18.3.02.
*7. SurHora crappocki. (Plate XI. fig. 1.)
Suthora craddocki Bingham, Bull. B. O. C. xi. p. 54
(1903).
« ~, Forehead, crown, nape, back, rump, and upper tail-
coverts orange-brown, shaded on the nape and back with
olive-brown; wings brown, the primaries edged externally
Minter Bros.imp
CRADDOCK!
THOMPSONI
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 587
with white, the secondaries all broadly edged with bright
orange-brown ; the primary-coverts brown, forming a con-
Spicuous patch on the upper portion of the wing; tail
brown, the outer webs of the feathers bright orange-brown
for three-fourths of their length from base ; lores, cheeks,
and a long supercilium white, the white of the cheeks ex-
tending to the neck ; ear-coverts brown; chin and throat
black, shading into grey on the upper breast; abdomen and
under tail-coverts bright orange-brown, flanks anteriorly
more or less white: upper mandible horny, lower mandible
fleshy yellow; legs and feet in life apparently fleshy brown.
“Length about 4", wing 1 8", tail 1-9", bill from gape 0:3",
tarsus O: 7/02
Valley of the Mékong River at 8500 ft., April 1902.
*8 (61). Scmoruyncuvs cuuaris (Horsf.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 69.
Byinkyi, Loilong State, 4500 ft., 10.3.02. ¢. “ Length
in the flesh 7-5’. Iris reddish brown, legs dull green.”
Family Crareropopip”.
9 (64). Dryonasres cHINENSts (Scop.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 74.
Wanhat, Cis-Salween, Mawkmai, 1200 ft,.951 01.
I never found this bird common, though it occurs over
a wide range, and at elevations from 500 ft. to 5000 ft.
10 (67). Dryonasres sannio (Swinhoe).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 76.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 20.1.02; Loi Kaw, 4500 ft., 8.4.02.
*11 (71). Garruzax piarpr (Less.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. joe Cave
Pan Long, Wanhat Circle, Cis-Salween, Mawkmai, 1200
to 1500 ft., 3.1.02. Four specimens.
12 (72). GarruLax pectoratis (Gould).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 80.
Loi Salii range, 5600 ft., 5.1.01. Has a wide range, and
occurs plentifully both in the low hot valleys and at heights
up to 6000 ft.
2Q 2
588 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the °
13 (86). TrocHALopreRUM MELANosTIGMA (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 92.
Yengyi Palaung, 5000 ft., 11.1.02; Loi Maw, 6000 ft.,
4.4.02; Loi Pangnaw, west of the Mékong, 8400 {t., April
1902. 25d).
This species seems to vary very much in the colour of
the under parts and of the tail. The specimen from Loi
Maw has the “ferruginous” or reddish-brown colour of
the throat extending to the breast and faintly over the
abdomen, the tail being dark greyish brown, its margins
washed with green. Among the Mékong specimens, on the
contrary, some have only the throat reddish brown, others
have that colour extending to the upper breast ; while the tail
in all is green or dark greyish brown, washed all over, and
not only on the margins, with green. Quite recently, also,
Mr. Craddock, who is now in Pahang, Malay Federated
States, has kindly sent me a specimen of this bird which has
the whole of the under parts from the chin to the under tail-
coverts very dark ferruginous brown, the tail brown above
washed with olive-yellow, and black beneath.
14. TROCHALOPTERUM RIPPONI Oates.
Oates, Bull. B. O. C. xi. p. 10 (1900) ; Ibis, 1901, p. 529,
pl. xiao. il.
Ménétaung range, Loilong State, 5000.to 6000 ft., 23.1.02.
Trocnalopterum ripponi is a race of T. pheniceum (Gould),
under which name I recorded it in my previous papery on the
_ birds of the Shan States. I there, however, drew attention
to the differences between it and true 7. phaeniceum.
*15 (117). Pomatoruinus nucnatis Tweed.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 117.
Kanlaung chaung, Loilong State, 1000 ft., 19.53.02; south
of Homam, Mawkmai State, 4500 ft., 14.5.02; Kalaw,
4200 feet, 22.1.02; Pyaunggaung, 2500 ft., Dec. 1900.
dd Ff.
These examples, though not typical, agree best both with
the description and with the type specimen of P. nuchalis
Tweeddale. This is a most puzzling bird, varying greatly
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 589
in total length, in size of bill, and in the depth and amount
of chestnut or brown streaks on the sides of the neck and
upper breast. The total length varies in the six specimens
from 7:4 to 9:5", the bill from the gape from 0-98" to 1:2".
*16 (126). Pomaroruinus ocaRacetcers Wald.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 123.
Byinkyi, 5000 ft., 10.38.02.
17 (129 a). PomarorHinus IMBERBIS Salv,
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv., App. p. 479.
Loi Maw, 5000 ft., 4.4.02; Yengyi Palaung, 5200 ft.,
TIY.02.
18 (145). PeLLtorneum suBocHRACEUM Swinh.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 142.
Taunggyi, 5000 ft., 6.8.1900; Thaton State, 3000 ft.,
29.38.02.
19 (151). Drymocatapuus tickEeLL (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 146.
?. Hlwegyi chaung, Loilong State, 2000 ft., 11.3.02.
20. DrymMocataPHuUs CINNAMOMEUS Rippon.
Drymocataphus cinnamomeus Rippon, Bull. B, O. C. xi.
p. 12 (1900).
Kaunghpo, Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 26.1.02.
21 (153). CoryrHocicHLa BRevicaupAta (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 148.
Taunggyi, 5000 ft., 1.7.1900; Byinkyi, Loilong State,
5000 ft.; Kalaw, 4000 ft., 15.2.02; Loi Maw, 4500 ft.,
7.4.02; Pinlikun, Loilong State, 23.3.02.
*22 (165). Atcippe pHayrit Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 158.
Yatsawk, 2000 ft., 10.12.01 ; Ménétaung, 5500 ft., 20.1.02 ;
Pyaunggaung, 4000 ft., 1.12.1900.
The specimens seem to me intermediate between typical
A. phayrii, such as [ was familiar with in Tenasserim, and
the recently described A. fratercula of Rippon (Bull. B. O. C.
xi. p. 11,,1900).
590 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
*23 (169). Sracnyris nrericers Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 162.
$. Kanlaung chaung, Loilong State, 1000 ft., 19.3.02.
*24 (171). Sracnyris assimizis Wald.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 163.
Byinkyi, Loilong State, 5500 ft., 9.3.02, 9; Loi Pang
Naw, near the Mékong River, 6500 ft., April 1902.
25 (176). Mrxornis RuBricaPinius (Tick.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 167.
Mawkmai State, 3000 ft., 21.5.02.
26 (182). Srrrrparus castanercers (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 172.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 26.1.02; Loi Un, Loi Salii range,
5500 ft., 6.1.01; Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 3.4.02; Loilong State,
5500 ft., 26.3.02.
I have never seen this pretty ttle Tit-Babbler under an
elevation of 5000 ft.
27 (188). Myrornonerus Evcentt Hume.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 179.
Hwe Heng, Mong ita, 3000 ft.
*28 (197). Drymocuares crura.is (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 188.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 9.1.02.
*29 (201). Testa cyANIveNTRIS Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 192.
Mékong Valley, 2000 ft., 10.1.02.
30 (203). Srpra prcaoiwEes Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 195.
Loi Pang Naw, 7500 ft., April 1902.
31 (208). Lioprita ANNEcTENS Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 199.
Ménétaung, 5500 ft., 23.1.02.
*32 (218). Srapurpi1a striara (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 206.
9. Byinkyi, 5500 ft., 10.3.02.
Birds of the Southern Shan States. o9L
Four specimens of this rare bird were obtained by Mr.
Craddock ; one a female, with nest and eggs. ‘ Nest of
moss lined with fibres placed on road-cutting near Byinkyi,
5500 ft.” The eggs are broad ovals, 0:7" x 0°55" and 0°71" x
0:55", white, with a faint wash of pale blue, spotted thickly
at the broad end, where the markings are more or less
confluent, with brown and purple.
*33 (220). Siva castaneicaupa Hume.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 209.
Loi Pang Naw, 8000 ft., west of the Mékong, April 1902.
Several specimens.
*34 (227). Zosrerops auREIVENTER Hume.
Oates; Faun? Brit-Ind. Birds; a. p. 215.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 13.1.02.
Zosterops simpler Swinh., so common at Kalaw and on
Loi San Pa, seems not to have been obtained in the Mékong
valley.
*35 (232). IxuLus FLavicoLiis (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 218.
Loi Pang Naw, from 6500 to 8000 ft., April 1902. Several
specimens.
*36 (233 a). Ixutus cLark1 Oates.
?. Byinkyi, 5500 ft., Loilong State, 9.1.02.
*37 (234). Herpornis xantHoteuca Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 219.
The locality is not given, but the bird was probably procured
in one of the low hot valleys.
38 (236). Curra NepALENsis Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 222.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 3.1.02; Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 3.4.02.
Two pairs,
*39 (237). PreruTHius ERYTHROPTERUS (Vigors).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 224.
3 3g. Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 6000 ft., 3.4.02.
592 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
40 (238). Preruruius «raratus Tick.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 225.
Loi Sali range, 5400 ft., 5.1.01; Yengyi Palaung, 5200 ft.,
10.1.02.
*4] (239). Prerurnius MELANOoTIS Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 226.
Loi Pang Naw, west of the Mékong, 80c0 ft., April 1902.
A pair.
42 (243). AiGiTHina TIPHIA (Linn.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 230.
Thaton State, 4000 ft., 27.4.02.
43 (249). CuLoropsis HARDWIcKIt Jard. & Selby.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 236.
Panghi, Loi Salii range, 4200 ft., 4.1.01 ; Loi Maw, 4000 ft.,
8.4.02 ; Ménétaung, 6500 ft., 26.1.02.
44 (257). Musia arcenrauris Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 244.
Byinkyi, 5500 ft., 8.3.02.
45 (261). PsaroGLossa sPILOPTERA (Vigors).
Oates, Faun. Brit Ind., Birds, 1. p. 249.
Yengyi Palaung, 5200 ft., 4.1.02.
*46 (264). Crinicer BuRMANICUS Hume.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 256.
Mawkmai State, 2000 ft., 15.4.02.
47 (270). Hypstperes concoror Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 261.
Ménétaung range, 6500 ft., 27.1.02; Loi Kaw, 4500 ft.,
8.4.02.
48. CerasorHiLa THoMPsontI. (Plate XII.)
Cerasophila thompsont Bingham, Aun. & Mag. Nat. Hist.
(7) v. 1900, p. 358.
& ¢. ‘The whole head and neck snow-white, the white
of these parts abruptly defined from the colour of the back
and breast, but extending further down on the upper back
than on the sides of the neck and breast; the back, rump,
Ibis 1903 Pie
et hth, Mintern Bros .imp.
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 593
upper tail-coverts, wing-coverts, scapulars, the outer webs of
the two inner secondaries, the breast, sides, and abdomen
clear ash-grey; the primaries, secondaries (with the ex-
ception noted above), and the tail hair-brown; the vent
and under tail-coverts light bright chestnut; the under
wing-coverts and axillaries, the lower portion of the abdo-
men, and some of the lower feathers on the thighs pale grey
with a wash of light chestnut, Bill, legs, and feet coral-red ;
claws horny; a bare patch of skin round the eyes, con-
spicuously wider below the eye than above it, greyish, tinged
with yellow, the eyelids with a rim of bright vermilion-red ;
iris whitish yellow to pale yellow.
“The sexes are alike in plumage, and differ only very
slightly in size. Dimensions in the flesh :-—
“@. Length 7-8", wing 3°8", tail 3-8", tarsus 0:7"). bill
from gape 0°85",
“92. Length 7:8", wing 3:7", tail 3-85", tarsus 0-7", bill
from gape 0°85",”
Kaunghpo, Ménétaung range, 6000 tty 25102:
It is remarkable that this conspicuous bird was not obtained
on the high range dividing the Salween and Mékong valleys.
It was procured first on Loi San Pa at and above 6000 ft. ;
Col. Rippon obtained it from Na Noi; and Mr. Craddock
has now sent it from the high hills in the west of the Shan
States.
*49 (274). Hemixvs niupEBranp1 Hume.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 264,
Foot of watershed between Mong Kyat and Mong Hang,
3600 ft., 6.2.01.
90 (275). Hemixus MaccLeLLanpt (Horsf.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 265.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 24.1.02; Loi Kaw, 5000 ft. 5.02
Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 4.4.02.
*51. Hemixus nours (Swinh.),
Loi Pang Naw, 6000 ft., April 1902.
This is the species, 1 think, separated by Mr. Hartert as
a subspecies of H. tickelli under the name H. tickelli
594. Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
bingham. It agrees fairly well with specimens of H. holt
in the British Museum.
52 (277). Aucurus striatus (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 266.
Salween-Mékong watershed, 7000 ft., 16.2.01.
53 (287). XANTHIXUS FLAVESCENS (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 275.
Byinkyi, 5500 ft., 9.8.02; Loi Salii, Mawkmai State,
5000 ft., 5.1.01.
54 (292). Spizixus canrrrons Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 280.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 12.1.02.
55 (296). lot virescens Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 284.
Foot of watershed between Mong Kyat and Méng Hang,
3500 ft., 6.2.01.
Family Sirtipa.
*56 (3815). Sirra Himatayensis Jard. & Selby.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 300.
This species, so far as I know, has not previously been
procured in Burma.
57 (318). Sirra nacagnsis Godw.-Aust.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 302.
Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 5600 ft., 7.1.01.
58 (319). Sirra macna Wardl. Rams.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 303.
This bird does not seem to be rare at an elevation of 6000 ft.
and upwards. Over a dozen specimens were obtained at
various localities, from Ménétaung, in the Loilong State in
the west, to the Mékong Valley on the eastern frontier of
the Shan States.
*59 (324). Srrra rormosa Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 306.
Salween-Mékong watershed, east of Méng Hang, 7000 ft.,
16.2 :01'.
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 595
60 (325), Sirra rrontauis Horsf.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 307.
Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 5000 ft., 8.1.01.
Family Dicrurip#.
* 61 (339). Burinea remirer (Temm.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 324.
Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 5000 ft., 8.1.01.
Smaller than typical B. remifer, with metallic-green, not
violet, gloss.
Family Cerruiips.
62 (344). Cerrnia prscotor Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 331.
Pang Paw, Mawkmai State, 4800 ft., 11.11.01; Loi Pang
Naw, near Mekong, 7000 to 7500 ft., April 1902.
*63. Urocicaia Reprata Bingh.
Urocichla reptata Bingham, Bull. B. O, C. xiii. p. 55
(1903).
“$. Entire upper plumage umber-brown, the posterior
margins of the feathers of the head, back, rump, wing-coverts,
and upper tail-coverts narrowly barred with black, giving a
squamate appearance to the plumage; wings and tail pale
brown, the primaries and secondaries edged with brighter
umber-brown ; lores, ear-coverts, and chin ashy grey ; throat,
breast, and flanks umber-brown, the feathers on the throat
and upper breast rather indistinctly speckled with grey ;
middle of the abdomen dark bluish grey ; vent and under
tail-coverts umber-brown. Baill horny; legs and feet in life
apparently fleshy brown.
“Length 4°5", wing 1:8”, tail 1:5", bill from gape 0:55",
tarsms O:7h 22
3. Loi Pang Naw, Mékong Valley, 8300 ft., April 1902.
Shot in dwarf bamboo.
*64 (357). PNorpyeGa pusiLta Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 343.
Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 5000 ft., 11.1.01.
596 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
Family Sytvup2.
65 (414). Payiioscorus putcuer (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 407.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 7.1.02; Loi Pang Naw, 7000 ft.,
April 1902.
*66 (432). CryproLopHA TEPHROCEPHALA (Anderson).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 428,
Cheindaungkyi, Loi Maw, 5000 ft., 23.1.02.
Family Lanupé.
67 (474). Lanrus cotturiomwes Less.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 462.
Thaton State, 4000 ft., 27.4.02.
*68 (477). Lanius repHRoNoTUs (Vigors).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 465.
Mong Hta, 2.2.01.
*69 (481). Lantus cristatus Linn.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 468.
Mawkmai State, 2000 ft., 8.12.01.
*70) (485). Hemipus capiratis (McClelland).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 472.
Kaunghpo, Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 26.1.02.
*7] (491). Pericrocorus FRATERCULUS Swinh.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 481.
West of Pinlaung, Loilong State, 4000 ft., 23.2.02.
Family OrroLip2.
72 (515). OrtoLus TenvrRostRIs Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 503.
6. Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 5600 ft., 7.1.01.
This specimen has all the appearance of a hybrid between
O. indicus end O. tenuirostris.
73 (521). Or1loLus MELANOCEPHALUS Linn.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 506.
South of Honan, Mawkmai State, 4500 ft., 14.5.02.
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 597
74 (522). OrroLus rrariit (Vigors).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 508.
Panghi, Loi Sali range, 4000 ft., Mawkmai State, 5.1.01.
Family Evtaserip».
ad
7o (524). Eunapes rvrermepia (A. Hay).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 511.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 26.1.02.
Family Muscicapip.x.
76 (560). Srpuia srropniara Hodgs,
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 8.
Loi Pang Naw, 8090 to 9000 ft., near Mékong, April
1902; Loi Un, Loi Salii watershed, 5500 ft. 7.1.01; Mene=
taung, 6000 ft., 25.1.02.
*77 (565). Cyornis Hopasont (Verr.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 14.
Loi Maw, 7000 ft., 6.4.02.
*78 (566). Cyvornis uyperyruRus (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 15.
Loi Maw, 7000 ft., 6.4.02 ; Loi Pang Naw, 8000 ft., 1.4.02.
*79 (567). Cyornis Levcomenanura (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 16.
Kaunghpo, Ménétaung, 5000 ft., 26.1.02.
D>?
80 (569). Cyornis MELANOLEUCUs (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 18.
Kaunghpo, Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 25.1.02.
81 (571). Cyornis sappuira (Tick.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 20.
Chendawgné, Méuétaung, 4500 ft., 23.1.02.
82 (572). Cyornis oatest Salvad.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 20.
Byinkyi, 5500 ft., 9.3.02; Loi Maw, 7000 ft , 6.1.02 ;
Ménétaung, 6500 ft., 26.1.02.
598 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
83 (575). CyorNnis RUBECULOIDES (Vigors).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 23.
Loi Pang Naw, west of Mékong, 1.4.02.
84 (579). SroparoLa MELANOpPS (Vigors).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 28.
Loi Maw, 4000 ft., 7.4.02.
85 (593). Nirrava cranpis (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 40.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 21.1.02.
86 (594). Nitrava sunpara Hodgs.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 41.
Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 4.1.02.
87 (603). CuELIDORHYNX HYPOxANTHUs (Blyth).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 51.
Loi Pang Naw, 7000 ft., April 1902.
Family Turpip&.
88 (615). Orercota FERREA (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, u. p. 66.
South of Homam, Mawkmai State, 4000 ft., 11 4.02.
89 (641). Ruricrtta avRoREA (Pall.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 98.
Loilong State, 5000 ft., 25.3.02.
*90 (654). Tanrura ruritata (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 106.
Loi Salii range, 5500 ft., 5.1.01; Loi Pang Naw, 7000 ft.,
April 1902.
*9] (659). Noropreta Leucura (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 112.
Taunggyi Crag, 5700 ft., June 1900.
92 (664). CirrocincLa MAcRkURA (Gm).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 118.
Loilong State, 2500 ft., 18.38.02.
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 599
93 (679). MreruLa PROTOMOMELENA (Cab.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 133.
Bank of Mékong River, 2.2.01; Loi Maw, 5000 ft., 7.4.02.
*94. (680). Muruta opscura (Gm.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 134.
Loi Salii range, 5000 ft., 5.1.01.
*95 (682). Murua FE Salvad.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 135.
Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 5.4.02.
96 (690). PrETROPHILA ERYTHROGASTER (Vigors).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 143.
Salween-Namkha watershed, 5090 ft., Jan. 1902.
97 (693). PerropHita cyanus (Linn.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 146.
Loi Un, Loi Sali range, 5500 ft., 7.6.01.
98 (693). OrEocINCLA DauMA (Lath.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 152.
Linbooé, Mékong bank, Feb. 1901.
*99 (705). ZooTHERA MARGINATA Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 157.
Menétaung, 6000 ft., 20.1.02; Zawgyichaung, Ywangan
State, 15.1.02.
*100 (706). Cocnoa purruREA Hodgs,
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 159.
Loi Maw, 7000 ft., April 1902.
101 (710). Cincius patxtasi Temm.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 164.
Foot of Salween, Mékong watershed, 3000 ft., Dee. 1991.
Family PLocerpx,
102 (735). Urotoncna Puncroxara (Linn.),
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 189,
Ménétaung, 4500 ft., 23.1.02; Wan Mah, Mawkmai,
3000 ft., 23.4.02.
600 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
Family FRINGILLIDA.
*103 (744). Mycrropas MELANOXANTHUS (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 201.
Htitamaung, Loi Maw range, 6090 ft., 2.4.02.
104 (761). Carpopacus Eryturinus (Pall.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 219.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 26.1.02.
105 (797). Emprriza aurgo.a Pall.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 259.
Pangkwa, Thaton State, 4000 ft., 27.1.02; Hpaimai,
Mawkmai State, 4000 ft., 24.4.02.
106 (801). Emperiza rutiza Pall.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 263.
Loi Maw, near Mékong, 6000 ft., 4.4.02; Loi Un, Loi
Salii range, 5500 ft., 7.1.01; Loilong State, 1000 ft., 20.3.03.
Family Necrarinip2#.
107 (889). AirHopyea paBryt (J. Verr.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 353.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 23.) .02.
108 (890). A’rnopyea saturAtTA (Hodgs ).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 354,
Loi Un, Loi Sali range, 5600 ft., 6.1.01; Loi Maw,
4000 ft., 8.4.02.
*109 (891). A’rHopyea sancuinipectus Wald.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 354.
Pingné, Loilong State, 2000 ft., 22.38.02; Loi Maw,
6000 ft., 3.4.02.
*110 (892). AirHopyGA NEPALENSIS (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1. p. 355.
Loi Maw, 8000 ft., 6.4.02 ; Loi Pang Naw, west of Mékong,
8000 ft., April 1902.
111.(895). Aracunecrura astaTica (Lath.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 359.
Hpaimai, Mawkmai State, 4000 ft., 24.4.02.
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 601
112 (906). AracuNorHEerA MAGNA (Hodgs.).
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 369.
Panghi, Loi Salii range, 4000 ft., 5.1.01; Ménétaung,
5000 ft., 23.1.02.
Family Pirrips.
*113 (926). AntHocrncLA PHAyRiIt Blyth.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 387.
3. Myitha chaung, Ywangan State, 1500 ft., 11.2.02.
*114 (928). Prrra oarest Hume.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 390.
3. Yengyi Palaung, 5200 ft., Yatsawk State, 13.1.02.
*115 (935). Pirra cucunyata Hartl.
Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 395.
Myitgné, Yatsawk State, April 1900.
Family EuryLemipe.
*116 (942). SertLopHus LuNatus (Gould).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 9.
Karain chaung, Maw State, 4200 ft., 28.1.02.
*117 (944). Psartsomus DALHOUSLE (Jameson),
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, in. p. 11.
Locality not given, probably Yatsawk.
Family Picrp.
*118 (951). Gecinus cHLoRoLoruts (Vieill.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 28.
3&6 @. Yatsawk, 2000 ft., 11.12.01.
*119 (955). CurysoPHLEGMA FLAVINUCHA (Gould).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 11. p. 28.
Maunghtoo, Thaton State, 3000 ft., 8.5.02.
*120 (959). GecinuLvs virivis Blyth.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 31.
2. Yatsawk, 2000 ft., 20.12.01.
121 (960). Hyroricus HypreryrHrus (Vigors).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 32.
& 2. Kalaw, 15.2.02; Ménetaung, 6000 ft., 8.1.02.
SER. VIII.—VOL. III. 2B
602 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
*122 (962). Denprocopus caBantst (Malh.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 35,
9. South of Homam, Mawkmai State, 4500 ft., 14.5.02;
36. Kalaw, 4500 ft., 16.2.02; 92. South of Bampon, 4000 ft.,
16:5:02,
*123 (966). Denprocorus pyrrsotHoRAX (Godw.-Aust.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 111. p. 38.
6. Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 5.4.02.
124 (968). Denprocopus atratus (Blyth).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, in. p. 40.
Loi Pang Naw, 7500 ft., April 1902; Taunggyi, 5500 ft.,
June 1902; Loi Un, Loi Salu, 5600 ft., 6.1.01; Ménétaung,
6000 ft., 27.1.02.
125 (975). Iyne1picus canicaPitius (Blyth).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iu. p. 46.
Loi Maw, 5000 ft., 5.4.02.
126 (978). Pyrruopicus pyrruotis (Hodgs.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 50.
Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 4.4.02.
*127 (983). Microprernus pu#ocers Blyth.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iil. p. 55.
North-east forests, Yatsawk State, April 1900.
128 (988). Tica savanensis (Ljungh).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 61.
¢. Hills east of Wanhat, Cis-Salween, Mawkmai, 1400 ft.,
41.01.
¥129 (1001). Prcumnus 1Innominatts Barton.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 111. p. 76.
Byinkyi, Loilong State, 5500 ft., 9.3.02.
*130 (1002). Sasta ocuracea Hodgs.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, il. p. 77.
Paunglaung, Loilong State, 1000 ft., 26.2.02.
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 603
Family Carrronip».
131 (1007). Mrcatama virens (Bodd.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 86.
Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 25.1.02.
132 (1012). Cyanops asratica (Lath.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 92.
Yengyi Palaung, Yatsawk State, 5500 ft, LOO:
133 (1018). Cyanops ramsayi (Wald.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 97.
Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 3.4.02; Loi Pang Naw, 7500 ft., April
1902; Ménétaung, 6000 ft., 18.1.02.
Family Mrrovip.
134 (1030). Menirrornacus swinuort (ITume),
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds iii ped leks
Boyathat, foot of Taunggyi, 11.11.1900.
Family Atcepinipa.
135 (1044). Hancyron smyrnensts (Linn.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 132.
Yatsawk, 3000 ft., April 1900.
Family Cypseripa.
*136 (1071). Cypsetus pacrricus (Lath.).
Blanford, Faun, Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 167.
Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 5700 {t., 7.1.1900.
Family Caprimuteipe.
*137 (1093). CarrimuLGus MACRURUS Horsf,
Biauford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 1ii. p- 188.
Thaton State, 2500 ft., 2.5.02.
Family Pstrracipa:.
*138 (1138). Paraornis rorquatus (Bodd.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. Das
Homam, Mawkmai, 4.000 ft., 15.5.02.
604 Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham on the
139 (1150). Loricunus vernatis (Sparrm.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 261.
West of Kazaw, Loilong State, 3000 ft., 4.3.02.
Family Srricipz.
140 (1152). Serix rramuea Linn.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 265.
Yatsawk, 1.1.1960.
Family Asronip&.
141 (1158). Syrnrum nivicota (Hodgs.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 273.
Taunggyi, 5500 ft., 7.7.00.
*142 (1178). Scops BaKKAM@NaA (Pennant).
Blanford, Faun, Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 297.
Taunggyi, 4500 ft., April 1902.
143 (1183). Guauciprum cucutoripEs (Vigors).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 305.
Yatsawk, 2000 ft., 11.12.1900; Naung Hton, Thaton
State, 3000 ft., 8.5.02.
*144 (1186). GLaucipi1um sropietr (Burton).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 307.
Loilong State, 3000 ft., 13.3.02.
Family Fanuconip2.
145 (1205). Aquita MacuLata (Gm.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 340.
Wanhat, Cis-Salween, Mawkmai, 1400 ft., 3.1.02.
146 (1208). Hieraérus pennatus (Gm.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iti. p. 344.
No precise locality.
147 (1217). Sprnornis cHEELA (Lath.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 857.
@ & 2? juv. Yatsawk, 11.11.1900.
Both specimens belong to the smaller Eastern form
S. rutherfordi Swinhoe.
Birds of the Southern Shan States. 605
*148 (1227). Potroairus nuMmitts (Miller & Schleg.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. Pa orl:
Nam Lun, Mongpu State, 1500 ft., Feb. 1901.
149 (1247). Accrerrer nisus (Linn.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 402.
Ménétaung, 7000 ft., 27.1.02.
*150 (1251). Baza Lopnortes (Temm.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 409.
Loi Pang Naw, 4000 ft., 4.1.02.
151 (1262). Erytnropus amurensis Gurney.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, ii. p. 424,
Mongpan, 3000 ft., 27.4.02.
7152 (1265). Tinnuncu.us ataupArius (Gm.).
Blanford, Faun, Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 428.
Ywangan State, 2000 ft., 3.2.02.
Family Cotumsipa,
*153 (1273). OsMorreron PHAYRII Blyth.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 8.
No locality given, except Shan States.
154 (1281). Treron NePaLensis (Hodgs.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 14.
Yatsawk, 3000 ft., April 1900.
155 (1291). Cuaucopnars rnpIca (Linn.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 26.
Byinkyi, Loilong State, 4500 ft., 9.3.02; Loi Pang Naw,
6000 ft., 3.4.02.
156 (1297). Denprorreron nopcsont (Vigors).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 33.
Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 4.4.02; Loi Maung, Loilong State,
5500 ft., 26.3.02.
*157 (1301). Atsocomus PULCHRICOLLIS (Hodgs.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 37.
?. Loi Maw, 7200 ft., 6.4.02.
606 Recently published Ornithological Works.
158 (1812). Macropyera rusatia Hodgs.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 49.
Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 5600 ft., 6.1.02; Loi Maw,
6000 ft., 3.4.02.
Family Paasianip&.
159 (1352). Bamsvsicota rytcui Anders.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 110.
Ménétaung, 5000 ft., 23.1.02.
160 (1363). ARrBoricoLa RUFIGULARIS Blyth.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 126.
Loi Un, Loi Sali range, 6000 ft., 3.1.01.
*16] (1867). ARBoRICOLA BRUNNEIPECTUS Tick.
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 128.
Loi Un, Loi Salii range, 4000 ft., 23.12.1900.
Family Turnicipa&.
162 (1382). Turnix puenax (Temm.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 151.
Loi Maw, 6000 ft., 3.4.02.
Family Rauiip#.
*163 (1401). AmavuRornis pH@NicuURUS (Peun.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 173.
Ywangan State, 4000 ft., 31.1.02.
164 (1402). GaLiinuLa cHLoropus (Linn.).
Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. p. 175.
Yatsawk, 3000 ft., April 1900.
XLUI.—WNotices of recent Ornithological Publications.
[Continued from p, 431.]
107. Arricalzaga on the Birds of Paraguay.
[Apuntes criticos sobre las Aves del Paraguay descritas por el Senor
A. de Winkelried Bertoni. Por Enrique Lynch Arribalzaga. An. Mus.
Nac. Buenos Aires, vii. ]
It appears that a young naturalist of Paraguay, Seyior A.
de Winkelried Bertoni, published at Asuncion in 1901], in a
Recently published Ornithological Works. 607
periodical called ‘Anales Cientificas Paraguayas’ (of which
we can find no copy in London), an article entitled “ Aves
nuevas del Paraguay.” In it he gave descriptions of about
100 supposed new species of birds of Paraguay, and pro-
posed no less than 23 new generic names for some of these
novelties. Sefior Arribalzaga’s memoir contains a free
criticism of M. Bertoni’s article, and shews clearly that the
latter must be absolutely unacquainted with the modern
literature on the birds of Paraguay, and, indeed, with that on
South-American birds in general. Seiior Arribalzaga goes
through Seior Bertoni’s species, one after the other, and
endeavours to shew upon what they were really based. We
will not reprint any of the new generic and specific names
proposed by M. Bertoni, as we do not wish to give further
publicity to this unfortunate paper. The best thing that can
happen is that its existence should be forgotten as soon as
possible.
It is right to mention that our valued correspondent,
Dr. H. v. Ihering, of Sao Paulo, sent us a critical review of
M. Bertoni’s paper last year, but that, for the reason just
given, we thought it better not to publish it.
108. ‘ Avicultural Magazine,’
[Avicultural Magazine. The Journal of the Avicultural Society. New
series. Vol. I. Nos. 5-10. 1903.]
These six parts include, as usual, original papers from the
pens of well-known Aviculturists on individual species or
groups of birds, as well as reprints of articles interesting to
the subscribers. A coloured plate is given in each part.
The Rev. H. D. Astley writes on the only two living speci-
mens of Myiophoneus temmincki known to exist in Europe,
Mr. W. H. St. Quintin records his success in hatching the
egg of the Reeve, Mr. R. Kemp discusses the cage-birds
of Sierra Leone, Mr. E. W. Harper the methods of bird-
catching in India, and so forth.
But far the most important article, in our eyes, is that
by Mr. D. Seth-Smith on the breeding of Turnix tanki in
his aviaries, for he was able to ascertain that the rufous
608 Recently published Ornithological Works.
nuchal collar of the female was completely lost in winter,
when the plumage resembled that usually considered to
belong to the immature bird; that the male alone incubated
and tended the young; and that the period of incubation
was only twelve days, or about half the time usual in game-
birds. These are excellent results from a single experiment,
and will very possibly hold universally in the genus Turniz.
Moreover, we are informed that the rufous collar was discer-
nible in a female chick 23 days old.
In part 5 Mr. W. P. Pycraft gives an admirable sketch of
the “ topography ” of a bird, not only naming the different
regions, but giving instructions for accurate measurements
and descriptions. In the course of the article he takes care
to make plain the meaning cof “diastataxic,” ‘ eutaxic,”
“overlap,” and other terms relating to the wing, while
he also gives a complete glossary.
109. Barrett-Hamilton on Birds’ Legs in Flight.
[On the Position occupied by the Legs of Birds during Flight. By
G. E. WH. Barrett-Hamilton. Zoologist, 1903, pp. 139-149. ]
The chief object of this paper is to point out that, although
many birds carry their legs stretched out beneath the tail
and many carry them bent forward, these members are not
kept stationary in either position, but from time to time are
called to the assistance of the bird when real work has to
be done and difficulties have to be overcome, each foot acting
independently of the other. Lists are given of various species
according to the way in which the legs are carried.
110. Butler on Cage-Birds.
[Hints on Cage-Birds (British and Foreign). By Arthur G. Butler,
Ph.D., F.L.S., F.Z.8. Ilustrated. 8vo. London. 80 pp. Price 1s. 9d.]
Mr. Butler gives us a summary of the results of twenty-
one years’ study of cage-birds in a pamphlet which will form
a most useful guide to the Aviculturist. The chapters on
sexual differences and on the study of the habits of birds
are of the most general interest.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 609
H11. ‘ Cassinia,’
[Cassinia, a Bird Annual. Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Orni-
thological Club of Philadelphia, no. vi. 1902, 66 pp. Price 50 cents. |
This periodical, as its title denotes, is chiefly concerned
with the ornithology of a single district; but the Report on
the Spring Migration of 1902 by Mr. Witmer Stone and the
life of Edward Harris, a friend and companion of Cassin and
Audubon, are matters of wider interest.
112. Coburn on a supposed British Goose.
[On a lost British Wild Goose, Anser paludosus (Strickland). By F.
Coburn. Zoologist, 1902, pp 441-448, pl. ii1.]
Mr. Coburn believes that he has rediscovered the Long-
billed Carr-lag Goose (Anser paludosus) of Arthur Strickland.
A bird procured by him from St. Abbs Head on Feb. 25th,
1896, can be distinguished from A. segetum by its great
size, its enormously lengthened Swan-like neck, its large and
also Swan-like feet, and its remarkably and distinctly shaped
and coloured bill.
113. Degen on Ecdysis.
[Eedysis, as Morphological Evidence of the original Tetradactyle
Feathering of the Bird’s Fore-limb, based especially on the perennial
Moult in Gymnorhina tibicen. By Edward Degen. Trans. Zool. Soc.
xvi. pt. 8, pp. 3847-418, pls. xxxvi—xxxviii. |
This is a complete description of the moult of the whole
plumage of Gymnorhina, with minute measurements, chrono-
logical observations, and calculations, arranged im many
tables and diagrams. It is asplendid “ mémoire pour servir,”
and the goal which the author has set before himself is very
ambitious, being nothing less than the reconstruction of the
wing, with bones and quills complete, of the very first bird.
Few will doubt that this problematic creature was a descen-
dant of some five-fingered reptile. But Archeopteryzx, beyond
which we cannot possibly speculate, had already reduced its
hand to the three first fingers, which correspond with our
own and those of recent birds. Now we are expected to
believe, from the evidence of the moult of an Australian
610 Recently published Ornithological Works.
Crow, that the missing fourth finger had its complement of
quills, that these have survived past the Archeopteryx-stage,
and have in recent birds slipped on to the ulna as part of the
series of secondaries.
The hypothetical scheme works out as follows :—The
primaries are nowadays composed of those originally carried
by the phalanges of the third finger (primaries 1-5) and
those of the phalanges of the index (6-11). Those which
originally belonged to the third metacarpal, those of the
missing phalanges and equally missing metacarpal of the
fourth finger, now form the 1—4th, 5-7th, and 8-11th
cubitals; and, should there be more than 10 cubitals, this
surplus alone belongs to the original ulnar feathering. The
quills of the alula are those of the first metacarpal, behave
as such in their moult, and are in reality not primaries.
Undoubtedly the moult is a much more complicated
process than has been hitherto suspected, and the same applies,
to a still greater extent, to the evolution of the “ wing,”
with its many disturbances, suppressions, and readjustments ;
but it is a long and dangerous flight of imagination from a
Piping Crow to the ancestors of Archeopteryx.—H. G.
114. Dresser’s ‘Manual of Palearctic Birds,
[A Manual of Palearctic Birds. By H. E. Dresser, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &e.
Part II. London, 1903. Price 12s. 6d. net.]
In our notice of the first portion of this book (supra,
p- 252) we have expressed our opinion on its merits in a very
decided way, and the second and concluding portion (con-
taining pp. 499-922) gives us no reason to alter our views.
It is a most useful and careful piece of work, and will be
much appreciated by all students of Palearctic birds,
amongst whom may, probably, be included nearly all the
members of our Union. We therefore strongly recommend
it to their notice.
In the first part Mr. Dresser gave an account of the
Passeres, Picariz, and Striges, which, according to his
views, comprise 709 species. The remaining Orders from
the Accipitres to the Pygopodes are dealt with in the
Recently published Ornithological Works. 611
present part, and consist of 510 species, so that the total
number of species of the Palearctic avifauna in the present
work is 1219. To make a comparison, the last edition of
the ‘ Check-list’ of North-American birds enumerates about
780 species. Moreover, although Mr. Dresser in some
cases admits subspecies under trinomial names, he does
not carry this practice to anything like the extent that is
usual in America. The mode of treatment has, therefore,
rather unduly increased the number of Nearctic species when
compared with those of the Palearctic Region. Again, there
still remains a large extent of unexplored country in the moun-
tains of China and other parts of Asia which is likely to
produce a certain number of new species. But our energetic
friends on the other side of the Atlantic have so thoroughly
worked out every hole and corner of North America that
little more in the way of new species can be expected to be
found there. The great northern region of the Old World is,
therefore, certainly much richer in bird-life than the corre-
sponding region of the New World.
In the present work Mr. Dresser has followed pretty
closely the classification adopted in the ‘ Birds of Europe.’
He has wisely cut his synonymy rather short, the book being
primarily intended for the use of field-naturalists and
travellers. But native names and references to leading
authorities are always added. It will also be observed that
the extreme subdivision of genera and species, now so much
in vogue, has not been followed in this ‘Manual.’ In his
preface Mr. Dresser well remarks that “the endless manu-
facture of subspecies, often based on very trifling differences
in tint, is calculated rather to puzzle and discourage than to
assist the beginner.’ We may add that the “ subdivisional ”
mode of treatment occasionally produces the same effect
even on the practised naturalist !
115. ‘ The Emu.’
[The Emu, a Quarterly Magazine to popularize the Study and
Protection of Native Birds. Official Organ of the Australasian Ornith-
ologists’ Union. Vol. II. 1903, pts. 3, 4, pls. vii.—xil. (one coloured). ]
These two parts of our contemporary (cf. ‘ Ibis,’ 1903,
612 Recently published Ornithological Works.
p- 118) include an account of the Melbourne Congress of
the Union, with an address by the President (Col. W. V.
Legge) on the advance of Ornithology in Australia—the
meeting having been followed by a “ camp-out ” excursion
to the Mutton Bird “ rookeries” on Phillip Island in Bass
Strait—and a Report for 1901-2, mainly concerned with the
efforts of the Council to induce the Governments of the
various States to extend the protection afforded to native
birds.
Apart from articles chiefly of local interest, Mr. D. le
Souef continues his important paper on birds’ eggs from the
Port Darwin district, in which he describes those of Pseudo-
gerygone brunneipectus, P. levigastra, P. chloronota, and
Zosterops gulliveri for the first time, and draws attention to
the extraordinary extent of the breeding-season, which, as is
truly said (p. 174),seems in North Queensland to last through-
out the whole year. ‘The same author follows with a dis-
cussion of the change of colour of plumage without moult in
certain birds ; but it should be noticed that he does not give
instances of a single feather changing colour, but only of
different feathers gradually producing lighter tints in the
progress of a bird to maturity. Mr. R. Hall writes on
“Colour Reversion in Kingfishers’ Eggs,” and Mr. A. J.
Campbell on the Protection of Native Birds.
Four, or possibly five, new species are described, viz. :—
Melithreptus leucogenys and Calamanthus montanellus from
the Stirling Ranges, W.A.; Aegalurus striatus from Lake
-Yanchep, W.A.; Acanthiza magnirostris and A. rufifrons (2)
from King Island, Bass Strait.
From the shorter notices we learn that the male Lyre-bird
incubates, that young Harriers (Circus gouldi) of very
different ages have been found in the same nest, and that
the Tooth-billed Bower-bird is a particularly clever mimic.
In a Review of the Catalogue of Birds’ Eggs in the British
Museum a doubt is raised as to the identification of the egg ©
of the Australian Dotterel there figured.
As the Editors of ‘The Ibis’ so fully recognise the good
work that is being done by Australian Ornithologists,
Recently published Ornithological Works. 6138
perhaps they may be pardoned in conclusion for expressing
their feeling that ‘The Emu’ is at present being conducted
gs p S$
on somewhat too popular lines.
116. Figgins on the Food-birds of the Eskimos.
[Some Food-birds of the Eskimos of North-west Greenland. By J. D.
Figgins. Abstr. Proc. Linn. Soc. New York, Nos. 18, 14, pp. 61-65. ]
The author shews that the Eskimos of North Greenland
use the flesh of birds for food in very large quantities.
Whenever there is a shortage of Seals and Walruses, which
often occurs, the natives, who are purely carnivorous, depend
almost entirely on birds. The species usually utilized are
the Dovekie (Alca alle), Briinnich’s Murre (Uria lomvia),
and the Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), but Puffins and Eider
Ducks are also much prized. Mr. Figgins describes in an
interesting manner the various modes in which the natives
eatch the birds.
117. Finsch on the Honey-guides.
(Zur Catalogisirung der ornithologischen Abtheilung. Von Dr. O.
Finsch, X. Indicatoride. Notes Leyden Mus. xxiii. pp. 162-179.)
The tenth of Dr. Finsch’s series of notes on the birds
of the Leyden Museum is devoted to the Indicatoride,
which are there represented by 26 examples referable to
8 species. Dr. Finsch reviews the whole of the described
forms, which consist of 16 species of Indicator, 1 of Meli-
gnomon, and 4 of Protodiscus. But, as will be seen by his
remarks, many of these supposed species are more or less
doubtful, and much has yet to be done before our knowledge
of this interesting group can be considered at all satisfactory.
Indicator wilicocksi of Alexander, we may remark, has
now been more fully described and figured (see Ibis, 1902,
p. 364, pl. viil.).
118. Finsch on some new Hornbills.
(1. Ueber einen neuen Nashornvogel der Gattung Penelopides.
Von Dr. O. Finsch. Notes Leyden Mus, xxii. pp. 190-194.
2. Ueber die Arten der Bucerotiden Gattung Ortholophus Grant.
Von Dr. O. Finsch. Notes Leyden Mus, xxiii, pp. 195-205.]
614. Recently published Ornithological Works.
During his recent examination of the specimens of Horn-
bills in the Leyden Museum Dr. Finsch has found examples
of two new species. One of them is a representative form,
from Northern Luzon, of the Philippine genus Penelopides,
proposed to be called P. talist. The other belongs to the
African genus Ortholophus, and has hitherto been confounded
with P. albocristatus. Dr. Finsch has named it O. cassini.
It comes from Gaboon and Cameroon.
119. Fuerbringer on the Genealogy of Birds.
[ Beitrag zur Genealogie und Systematik der Voegel. By Max Fuer-
bringer. Jenaische Zeitschrift f. Naturwiss. xxxvi. (1902) pp. 587-736. }
Fourteen years have elapsed since Professor Fuerbringer’s
two gigantic volumes ‘ Untersuchungen zur Morphologie und
Systematik der Voegel’ were issued. In 1902 he published
in the ‘Jenaische Zeitschrift’ a condensed account of that
monumental work, and the present ‘ Beitrag’ of 150 pages
is a reprint of the genealogical and systematic observations.
Tt contains an additional list of almost everything that has
been written on the subject since 1888 ; not exactly a biblio-
graphy, since only the names of the authors, with date, and
one or two catchwords concerning the organs and groups
of birds described, are mentioned. The importance of the
present work lies in the fact that the discussions of the
systematic position and the mutual affinities of the various
groups, have been brought up to date, but it is almost
entirely an historical review, with only here and there a
‘definite cricicism of what has been done since 1888. The
result is that, with a few slight modifications, the author
stands by his system, as elaborated in his great work.
There is a long disquisition on the ‘ Ratite question.”
They are a polyphyletic assembly, and are now divided into
two groups—‘ LonGI-HUMERALES,” viz. Struthio and Rhea,
which are the oldest, and are derived, independently, from
somewhere out of the Order Pelargornithes, and Brevi-
HUMERALES: Caswarii, Aipyornithes, and Apterygiformes. On
p. 670 we are told that the Apteryges and Dinornithes have
really very little in common with the Ralli, but that their
Recently published Ornithological Works. 615
nearest relations are the Crypturi. At first sight it is not
easy to understand how this categorical statement is to be
reconciled with the equally emphatic rejection of the “ Palzo-
gnathe,” but the combination of the Ratite with the Crypturi
versus all the other Carinate is on p. 672 rightly dismissed as
‘a quite extraordinary overestimation of the taxonomic value
of the palatognathous apparatus.” The Brevi-humerales
are traced towards the stock of the Grallatores in the wider
sense, an Order, for which the terrible name “ Kolobathr-
ornithes” has been invented ; this Order comprising the three
suborders Charadri-, Grui-, and Ralli-formes.
The combination of Pici and Passeres is vehemently upheld.
There is a final chapter on the relation of birds to other
Vertebrata, with the comforting conclusion that the pro-avine
ancestor was not a dinosaur, crocodile, turtle, or lizard, but
some other reptile, name unknown. We must bear in mind
that the author, with his extensive morphological experience
and absolutely unique knowledge of the literature, is the
very man who, if he would but brace himself to do away
with the many “intermediary” groups and other subterfuges,
could give us by far the best system ever produced.-—H. G.
120. Goeldi on the Destruction of Birds in Amazonia.
[Against the Destruction of White Herons and Red Ihbises on the
Lower Amazon, especially on the Island of Maraj6. . By Prof. Dr. Emil
A. Goeldi, C.M.Z.S, Translated from the Portuguese into English by
Wm. H. Clifford. 8vo. Para, 1902.]}
This is a translation into English of a vigorous appeal made
by our friend Dr. Goeldi to the Governor and Legislature of
the State of Para in 1890, and repeated in 1895, to take
some steps to stop the slaughter of the White Herons and
other birds carried on by the “ plume-hunters” on the
Lower Amazon, “ Must hundreds of thousands of Herons
perish every year,” he says, to trim ladies’ bonnets in the
United States and France? “ Let the ladies put something
else in their hats.” Dr. Goeldi maintains: (1) that the
killing of Herons and Ibises during the breeding-season
should be rendered illegal; (2) that the nesting-places of
616 Recently published Ornithological Works.
these birds both on private property and on public ground
should be made inviolable; (3) that prohibitive export-duties
should be laid on the feathers of Herons and Ibises. The
State Legislature of Para appears to have got rid of this un-
pleasant appeal by handing it over to the Municipal Council
of the Island of Marajé. But, as Dr. Goeldi points out, it
would be of little use to stop the slaughter in Marajo if
it is permitted elsewhere, and he demands that restrictive
measures should be applied to the whole State of Para,
We hope that our excellent friend will not relax his efforts
in so good a cause.
121. Goeldi and Hagmann’s List of Amazonian Birds.
[Aves Amazonicas. Lista das aves indicadas como provenientes
de Amazonia nos 27 volumes de ‘ Catalogue of Birds of the British
Museum,’ de Londres (1874-1898). Bol. Mus. Paraense, vol. ii. 1902.
53 pp. ]
As described in the title, this is a List of the birds men-
tioned in the 27 volumes cf the ‘Catalogue of Birds’ as
being found in Amazonia. It contains the names of 1156
species, and short indications of the locality and authority
for each of them. It will be very useful for reference to
all who are working at the great Avifauna of Amazonia, and
especially to Dr. Hagmann himself, who is now engaged in
cataloguing the specimens in the Museum of Para.
122. Hagmann on his Visit to Mexiana.
[Ein ornithologischer Streifzug durch den Campo der Insel Mexiana
“(Amazonas). Von Dr. Phil. Gottfried Hagmann aus Basel. Schweitz.
Ornith. Blatter, xxvi. No. 25.]
The island of Mexiana, in the mouth of the Amazon, is
classical ground to the ornithologist, having been visited by
Wallace in 1848, and described in his well-known work.
Dr. Hagmann has recently made an excursion to it from
Para, where he is Assistant in the Goeldi Museum, and
gives us a short account of the wonders of its bird-life.
Ibises, Storks, Herons, and waterfowl of all kinds swarm
in its lagoons, while many interesting land-birds are
abundant.
Recently published Ornithological Warks. 617
123. Hartert and Hellmayr on the Genus Masius.
[Ueber die Pipriden-Gattung Musiws Bp. Von Ernst Hartert und
Carl Hellmayr. Ornithol. Monatsb. 1903, pp. 33-35. ]
Two species of this genus of pretty little Piprine birds are
usually recognised—Masius chrysopterus from Colombia,
and M. coronulatus from Ecuador. The authors now propose
to divide the latter into two subspecies—M. chrysopterus
coronulatus from Western Kcuador, and M. chrysopterus
bellus, subsp. nova, from Antioquia. There are some grounds
for such a proceeding (as has been already pointed out), though
they are slight. But we are quite unable to understand why
it is proposed to degrade M. chrysopterus, which the authors
themselves acknowledge to be quite distinct from both of
the others, to the rank of a subspecies.
124. Harvie-Brown on the Birds of the Hebrides.
{On the Avifauna of the Outer Hebrides, 1888-1902. By J. A.
Harvie-Brown. Reprinted from Annals of Scot. Nat. Hist. 1902-1903. ]
We are always glad to receive papers which keep us in
touch with the changes that are taking place, or the new
discoveries that are made, in the Avifauna of any district,
and to British ornithologists the islands of Scotland
invariably provide matter of much interest from time to
time. Mr. Harvie-Brown here gives all the information
that he has been able to gather, since 1888, as to the birds
of the Outer Hebrides, full details being thus added to the
shorter record already published in our pages (‘ Ibis,’ 1902,
pp. 275-278). In the two papers we have a most satisfactory
account of the Avifauna up to date, and we hope that similar
articles on other areas of Scotland will appear in the ‘Annals’
before long.
125. Hose on the Birds of Northern Celebes.
[List of Birds collected in Northern Celebes. By Charles Hose,
D.Sc., Resident in the Baram District, Sarawak. Ornis, xii. p. 77
(1902-03). ]
Dr. Hose made an excursion to Northern Celebes in
SER, VIIIL.— VOL, II. Is
618 © Recently published Ornithological Works.
October 1895, and spent most of his time on Mount
Masurang, especially at Rurukan, a village situated at an
elevation of 4000 feet on the mountain, where he found
excellent collecting-ground for his ‘‘ Dayak hunters.” His
principal object was to procure small mammals, but he also
obtained examples of 132 species of birds. Celebes has
been well worked, and none of the species are new, though
many are of interest. Good details are given concerning the
nesting of Megapodius cumingi.
126. Hudson on Hampshire Birds.
[Hampshire Days. By W.H. Hudson. 1 vol. 8vo, 344 pp. London:
Longmans, Green & Co, 1908. Price 10s. 6d. net. |
All members of our Union and other lovers of Nature
will welcome this new book from the pen of Mr. Hudson,
although it may not be strictly ornithological. On the
present occasion its subject appeals strongly to our sym-
pathies, for the County of Southampton comprehends the
New Forest and Selborne—two of the most interesting
districts in England to the lover of birds ; and Mr. Hudson
specially calls our attention to these localities. ‘Though
animals of all sorts and many other matters are spoken of
in the present volume, birds, as in most of Mr. Hudson’s
writings, form a prominent topic. Of special interest is the
careful description of the process of ejection from the nest
by the new-born Cuckoo of the eggs and young of the
legitimate owners, and of the way in which they leave
their own young to perish, while their whole attention is
absorbed by their greedy foster-child. Of course, as we all
know, this has been observed before, but it is good to have
confirmation of these acts from the eyes of such a reliable
witness.
We need not say more about this attractive volume,
except that we advise all our bird-loving friends to read and
digest it. The illustrations, mostly by well-known pencils,
are good and appropriate.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 619
127. Kolthoff on the Migration of Marsh-birds.
[Zur Herbstwanderung der nordischen Sumpfvigel iiber die Insel
Oland. Von Gustay Kolthoff, Festskrift for Lilljeborg, pp. 128-186,
Upsala, 1896. ]
The author of this paper discusses the spring migration of
northern Marsh-birds, as observed at the south point of the
Island of Oland, which he finds to be a very good station,
since two lines of flight seem to converge towards the disniee!
After treating of the various species separately, he gives a
table of the observations from June to October, with the
time of day at which the occurrences took place. There
were comparatively few in the first and last month.
128. Lorenz-Liburnau on Birds from New Zealand.
{Zur Ornis Neuseelands. Vom Custos L. V. Lorenz-Liburnau. Sep.-
Abdr. v. d. xvii. Bande Ann. d. k.-k, Naturh. Hofmus. Wien, 1902. }
This is the first part of an account of the valuable addition
made in 1891 to the Vienna Museum by the acquisition of
the collection of birds formed in New Zealand and the
adjacent islands by the late Andreas Reischek. Reischek
went out to New Zealand in 1877 as taxidermist to the
Christchurch Museum, and subsequently made numerous
voyages and excursions to every part of New Zealand and
its islands, In 1889 he returned to Europe, and, after
depositing his ethnographical and zoological collections at
Vienna, retired to his native place, Linz, and became Custos
of the Upper Austrian Land-Museum in that city. His
name and the observations made by him are of frequent
occurrence in Sir Walter Buller’s works on the birds of
New Zealand, and he was the author of several papers on
birds in the ‘ Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.’
The present portion of Dr. vy. Lorenz’s memoir contains an
account of about 50 species, extending from the Passeres to
the Pigeons, with exact dates and localities of the specimens
and many important remarks. Anthus nove-zealandie
reischeki, from the North ue A. n.-z. Chathamensis from
Chatham Island, and A. n.-z. steindachneri from Antipodes
Island, are separated as new subspecies. Nesieraz is a new
282
~
620 Recently published Ornithological Works.
name proposed in place of Harpa, previously used m
conchology. Amongst the rarer birds mentioned as obtained
by Reischek are Pogonornis cincta, now supposed to be
extinct (10 specimens), and the lately described Miro
dannefaerdi, from the Snares Islands. A coloured plate
contains figures of Pseudogerygone sylvestris and of the
heads of two species of Bowdleria and of two species of
Anthus.
129. Lorenz and Helimayr on South-Arabian Birds.
[Kin Beitrag zur Ornis Stidarabiens. Von Dr. L. y. Lorenz und C. E.
Hellmayr. Denksehr. Ak. Wiss. Wien, Ixxi. 1902. |
The authors now give us a more complete account of the
interesting collection of birds made by Mr. Bury in Hadra-
maut, Southern Arabia, already described in the ‘ Journal
fiir Ornithologie’? for 1901 (pp. 231-245) *, and add the
field-notes of the Collector, as also an account of another
collection made by Frau Dr. W. Hein in the district of
Gischin, which contains 44 skins referable to 12 species.
Altogether the list contains the names of 62 species, three
of which (Fringillaria arabica, Zosterops arabs, and Nectarinia
muelleri) are figured in the accompanying plate. The
occurrence of an example of Turdus atrigularis at Yeshbum
(4.1.00) is remarkable.
130. Madardsz on the Birds of Hungary.
[Magyarorszag Madarai &c. Von Dr. Madarasz Gyula. Auszug in
Deutscher Sprache. Budapest, 1899-1903. 1 vol., 666 pp. |
We have been favoured with a copy of Dr. Madaréasz’s
volume on the birds of Hungary, which is now complete.
Being intended mainly for Hungarians it is written in their
language, but an abstract in German, which is appended,
enables us to obtain a good idea of its contents.
The materials for the book are mainly taken from the
great collection of Hungarian birds in the National Museum
at Budapest (under the author’s charge), which contains
* See also Mr. Ogilvie-Grant’s comments on the subject, ‘ Ibis, 1901,
p. 518.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 621
more than 5000 specimens of the birds of Hungary and of
the adjoining Crown lands of Croatia and Sclavonia. So
nearly perfect is this series that only 16 out of the 364
species of Hungarian birds fail to be represented in it,
and these are mostly «nica of other museums or private
collections.
In 1881 the author published his ‘Systematische Auf-
zahlung der Végel Ungarns,’ in which 345 names were
included, some of them of doubtful species. The present
work, as already mentioned, gives us an account of 364.
species belonging to the Hungarian Avifauna, of which 87 are
constant residents and 15] are known to breed in Hungary.
The winter-visitors are 24, the more or less regular passing
visitors 46, and the accidental visitors 46. The arrangement
and nomenclature used by Dr. Madaiasz follow generally
those of the British Museum Catalogue. Homonyms are
employed throughout.
Amongst the rarer stragglers enumerated in the present
work we observe Linaria exilipes (Coues), L. brevirostris (Bp.),
Melanocorypha sibirtca (Gm.), Budytes taivanus Swinhoe,
Ruticilla mesoleuca (Wempr. et Ehr.), Buteo zimmermanne
Ehmcke, Aathropoides virgo, and Somateria mollissima.
Phaoparus is proposed as a new subgeneric term for Parus
palustris and its allies, and the southern form of Glaucidium
passerinum is named G. setipes.
Besides numerous figures in the text there are 9 plates, one
of which (by Keulemans) illustrates the somewhat problema-
tical Buteo zimmermanne.
131. Madardsz ou a new Asiatic Warbler.
‘ Vorliufiges iiber einen neuen Rohrsiinger (Luseiniola mimica). Von
Dr. Julius von Madarasz. Budapest, 1903. 2 pp.)
Dr. v. Madarasz’s Lusciniola mimica will be an interesting
species to Palwarctic ornithologists, if future researches
should result in confirming its distinctness from L. melano-
pogon, of which it is stated to be the eastern representative.
Its coloration, however, is nearly similar to that of Calamo-
dyta phragmitis. Six examples of this supposed new species
622 Recently published Ornithological Works.
were transmitted to the National Museum at Budapest by
its collector Harms, who obtained them at various localities
in Transcaspia and Eastern Persia.
132. Meyer on new Birds from Celebes.
[Neue Vogel von Celébes. Von A.B. Meyer. Notes Leyden Mus. xxiii.
pp. 185-189 (1903). ]
Dr. A. B. Meyer here shortly describes the novelties in the
collection of birds made by the two Sarasins during their
second expedition to Celebes. Altogether 74 specimens were
obtained, which are referable to 57 species. Of these the
following 6 are described as new :—Microstictus intermedius,
Meropogon forsteni centralis, Siphia hoevelli, Graucalus
temmincki tondeanus, Acrocephalus orientalis celebensis, and
Ptilopus centralis.
Dr. Meyer is contemplating the publication of a new
general work on the birds of Celebes.
133. North onthe Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds.
[Nests and Eges of Birds found breeding in Australia and Tasmania.
By A. J. North. Part IJ. Sydney, 1903.]
We have received from the Trustees of the Australian
Museum the third part of Mr. North’s account of the nests and
eggs of Australian Birds, the two former instalments of which
we have already noticed (see ‘ Ibis,’ 1902, pp. 156, 666). In
the present section of this excellent work the breeding-habits
of numerous Australian members of the family Muscicapidie
are discussed at length, while their nests and eggs are
accurately described, and illustrated by figures in the text
and by accompanying plates. The work does great credit
both to the author (one of the new Colonial Members of
the B. O. U.) and to the artist, Mr. Neville Cayley, who is
responsible for the illustrations.
134. Salvadori on Birds from Annobom and Fernando Po.
[(1) Contribuzioni alla Ornitologia delle isole del Golfo di Guinea.—
TI. Uccelli di Annobom e di Fernando Po. Per Tommaso Salvadori.
Extr. Mem. Acc. Sc. Torino, ser. 2, vol. lui. Torino, 1905.
Recently published Ornithological Works. 623
(2) Caratteri di due nuove specie di Uccelli di Fernando Po. [Per]
Tommaso Salvadori. Boll. Mus. d. Zool. e Anat. comp. d. R, Univ.
Torino, xviii. No. 442, 1903. ]
The first of these papers concludes Count Salvadori’s
memoir on the birds of the four islands in the Gulf of
Guinea (see above, p. 429) by an account of what is known of
the ornithology of Annobom and Fernando Po. In Annobom
Sig. Fea obtained 49 specimens of birds, which are referred
by Count Salvadori to 8 species. Two of these, Scops fee
and Haplopelia hypoleuca, are described as new. The author
reviews the known species of Annobom, including those
added by Sig. Fea’s researches, and shews them to be 16 in
all, among which are 4 restricted to this island, so far as is at
present known.
In Fernando Po, Sig. Fea suffered from bad health and
was not so successful, having obtained only two specimens of
Xylobucco scolopaceus. But in order to complete his subject
Count Salvadori reviews all the work that has been done on
the ornithology of this island up to the time of writing the
present paper, and shews that 146 species had been recorded
up to that date. As regards Capt. Alexander’s recent
discoveries, Count Salvadori had only the short diagnoses of
new species issued in the Bulletin of the B. O. C. before him,
and not Capt. Alexander’s complete account published in the
last number of this Journal. A very useful tabular com-
parative statement of the birds of the four islands concludes
an excellent memoir.
The second paper contains short diagnoses of two new
species from Fernando Po (Speirops brunnea and Turdinus
bocagei) without further information.
135. Sclater’s Birds of South Africa.
(The Fauna of South Africa. The Birds of South Africa, By W. L.
Selater, M.A., F.Z.S., Director of the South African Museum, Cape Town.
Vol. I. London: R. H. Porter, 1905. Price 21s. net. ]
At the time of his sad death at Ladysmith, Stark had
finished his rough MS. for the second volume of the present
work (see ‘ Ibis,’ 1902, p. 161), but had not commenced the
624 Recently published Ornithological Works.
third. For this volume, therefore, Mr. W. L. Sclater is solely
reponsible, although he has had the advantage of consulting
Stark’s notebooks and journals, and has made good use of
them.
The third volume of the ‘ Birds of South Africa’ has been
drawn up on exactly the same lines as the first and second,
Tt contains an account of the Picarians, Parrots, Owls, and
Hawks of Africa south of the Zambesi, which number
altogether some 183 species. The text is illustrated by 141
figures drawn, with very few exceptions, by Mr. Groénvold
specially for this work.
A fourth volume, now in an advanced state of preparation,
will finish the work, but it must not be supposed that our
knowledge of the birds of the vast country treated of is by
any means complete. ‘There are enormous areas, especially in
the north and east of South Africa, almost untouched by the
ornithologist, and the present work constitutes merely a
basis upon which further information on the subject may be
built.
1386. Scott’s ‘ Story of a Bird-lover?
[The Story of a Bird-lover. By William Earl Dodge Scott. New
York: The Outlook Company, 1903. 1 vol. Svo. 372 pp.]
This is one of the most interesting books to the crnith-
ologist that we have met with for a long time. It contains
an account of the life and adventures of Prof. W. HE. D.
Scott, of Princeton, one of the most active and experienecd
field-naturalists of North America, and author of many
excellent papers on American Birds, of which a list is
given in the Appendix. Mr. Seott was evidently devoted
to birds in his childhood, and has been fortunate in
passing the greater part of his life in contact with them.
At Harvard he studied under the direction of Louis Agassiz,
Prof. Shaler, Dr. Wyman, and Mr. Allen, all names well
known to us in Europe, and was one of the original members
of the Nuttall Ornithological Club—the parent, so to speak,
of the A.O. U. After other experiences in observing and
collecting, My. Scott obtained in 1874 a post as Curator of
Recently published Ornithological Works. 625
the Museum of Zoology at Princeton College, New Jersey,
which we believe he holds at the present moment, although
he has only recently returned to it after some years of
wanderings elsewhere. During this interval the plains of
Colorado, the coast-lands of Florida, and the deserts of
Southern Arizona have alike become familiar to him, so that
few individuals can be better acquainted with the varied
features of the Nearctic Ornis than our author. ‘This,
indeed, will be at once apparent to those who read Prof. Scott’s
lively account of his adventures in the above-mentioned and
other specially selected collecting-spots. Mr. Scott also
passed several months in Jamaica in 1890, and gave his
brother ornithologists of Europe the pleasure of his company
in the spring of 1900, his special object being to examine the
South-American specimens in the British Museum for a
work on the birds of Patagonia, upon which he is now
engaged. But we invite all the readers of ‘The Ibis’ to
peruse Prof. Scott’s ornithological adventures for themselves,
and not to be content with the mere outline of them con-
tained in our notice of his most attractive volume. Above
all, let them mark the account of the ravages caused by the
odious “ plume-hunters”? in the heronries of Florida, as.
personally witnessed by Prof. Scott, who found “ vast piles
of carcasses of the dead parents stripped of their beautiful
plumes lying about, and thousands of young birds left to.
starve to death in misery in their nests.”
137. Seth-Smith’s ‘ Parrakeets?
[Parrakeets: being a practical Handbook to those Species kept im
Captivity. By David Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. Parts 3-5. Pp. 81—
216, 10 pls. London: R. H. Porter, 1902-1903. Price 6s. per part,
net. |
In these parts the author continues his account (cf. supra,
p- 181) of the various species of Parrakeets, with notes on
their habits, either as observed in captivity or as recorded
by those who bave met with the birds in their native haunts.
The description of the nesting-habits of Agapornis roseicollis:
is especially noteworthy. The genera treated are Brotogerys,
626 Recently published Ornithological Works.
Tanygnathus, Paleornis, Polytelis, Spathopterus, Ptistes,
Aprosmictus, Pyrrhulopsis, Psittinus, Agapornis, Loriculus,
Platycercus, Porphyrocephalus, Barnardius, Psephotus, and
Neophema. Thecoloured figures are of Brotogerys virescens,
B. tui, Paleornis caniceps, P. nicobarica, Polytelis barra-
bandi, Loriculus sclateri, L. chrysonotus, Platycercus
elegans, P. jflaveolus, P. browni, Barnardius barnardi,
B. zonarius, Psephotus «anthorrhous, P. hematorrhous,
P. chrysopterygius, and P. multicolor.
138. Sherborn’s ‘ Index Animalium,
{Index Animalium sive Index nominum quae ab A.D. MDCCLYIII.
generibus et speciebus Animalium imposita sunt Societatibus Eruditorum
adjuvantibus a Carolo Davies Sherborn confectus. Sectio prima, a
Kalendis Januariis MpccLvm1. usque ad finem Decembris Mpccc. Canta-
brigiz e Typographico Academico, Mpccccu. S8vo. Pp. lix+1195.
Price 25s. net. |
This is not a specially ornithological book, but, when
complete, will be very useful to workers in every branch of
zoology ; it is, in fact, a dictionary of the names of all
animals whether generic or specific. Darwin was so con-
vinced of the necessity of such a work for botanists, that he
Jeft a sum of money to be employed in compiling what is
now known as the ‘Index Kewensis,’ which contains an
alphabetical list of the names of plants and _ references
to their descriptions. Mr. Sherborn proposes to bestow
the same favour on his brother zoologists, and the present
volume is the first instalment. The ‘Index Zoologicus’
will contain a complete list of all the generic and specific
names applied to animals since 1758, when Linnzeus
inaugurated the binomial system, with dates and references.
Acting under the advice of a Committee of the British
Association, Mr. Sherborn has divided his work into three
portions. The first of these, now published by the Cam-
bridge University Press, contains all the names proposed by
zoologists from January Ist, 1758, to the end of December,
1800, and will be found most useful and accurate so far
as it goes. The energetic author is now hard at work
on the second division, which will contain the names
given during the first half of the last century, to which
Recently published Ornithological Works. 627
a third division relating to the zoological work of the years
1851 to 1901 will ultimately be added.
139. Stone on Birds from Sumatra.
[A Collection of Birds from Sumatra, obtained by Alfred C. Harrison,
Jun., and Dr. H. M. Hiller. By Witmer Stone. Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Philadelphia, 1902, pp. 670-691. ]
This is a catalogue of a collection of birds made at several
localities in Sumatra by Mr. A. C. Harrison, Jun., and
Dr. H. M. Hiller, which was presented to the Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The collection contains
examples of 138 species, mostly well-known forms. Having
under his charge in the Wilson Collection (received from
Verreaux) what is supposed to be the typical specimen of
Trichostoma umbratile of Strickland (Contr. Orn. 1849,
p. 128), which is usually held to be the same as 7. rostratum
Blyth, Mr. Stone, with the assent of Dr. C. W. Richmond,
pronounces it not to be a Trichostoma at all, but identical
with Rhinomyias pectoralis Salvad. Knowing, however, the
accuracy of Strickland’s work and the careless manner in
which many of the specimens which passed through the
Maison Verreaux in former days were labelled, we should
be disposed to doubt this identification, unless it were con-
firmed on examination of the typical specimens of Napothera
umbratilis Temm. in the Leyden Museum.
A subspecies of Rhinomyias, based on specimens obtained
by Dr. Abbott on the coast of Sumatra, is characterized as
R. umbratilis richmondi.
We may say, in conclusion, that we are among those who
still “ believe in the propriety of ignoring names which are
geographically misleading,” and should not be disposed to
adopt as the title of a Bornean Kingfisher ‘“ Pelargopsis
capensis gavana”! ‘Truth, in our opinion, is more important
than priority !
140. Strong on the Colour of Feathers.
[The Development of Colour in the Definitive Feather. By R. M.
Strong. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard College, xl. pp. 147-185 &
pls. 1-9 (1902). ]
This paper trenches too much upon histology to make it
i Oe
623 Recently published Ornithological Works.
possible for us to give a full analysis of it, but the summary
of results should certainly be carefully studied by all
interested in the subject, and compared with those of other
writers. We often have to draw attention to the full and
accurate work of our American cousins in articles of this
description, while here the details are illustrated by nine
excellent plates of sections of feather-germs and parts of the
feather. Mr. Strong does not consider that the question of
change of colour without moult can be properly studied apart
from a thorough consideration of the causes of colour and
its development, and he therefore conducts us afresh through
the details of both these processes, on the strength of material
obtained from specimens of Sterna hirundo, the Common
Dove, Megascops asio, and various Passeres, his conclusion
being “ that there is no satisfactory evidence of a process of
repigmentation, and that the histological conditions of the
feather render such a process highly improbable.”
141. Strong on the Study of Variation.
[A Quantitative Study of Variation in the smaller North-American
Shrikes. By R. M. Strong. American Nat. xxxv. pp. 271-298 (1901).]
This elaborate article attempts to apply the “ Precise
Criticism of Species”? of Davenport (‘ Science,’ n.s. vil.
p- 685) to Lanius ludovicianus and its races excubitoroides
and gambelt, 294 specimens of which were obtained for the
purpose from the United States, Mexico, and South Canada.
The characters taken into consideration, and for the most
part expressed in “frequency polygons,” are :—-Length of
wing, tail, aud bill; depth of bill; colour of top of head,
upper tail-coverts, and breast ; while the curvature of the
bill is measured in 47 individuals by an ingenious method of
ascertaining the angle between certain chosen lines.
The relative variability of the different characters in
different geographical areas is thus made evident ; and the
author asks us to consider whether it is worth while
encumbering nomenclature with the names of races based on
such slight variations, since the process of “ splitting ”’ could
be carried on ad infinitum by a well-trained eye. We are
Recently published Ornithological Works. 629
quite in agreement with his remark that “it seems highly
desirable that the question of limiting the establishment of
new subspecies or varieties by some generally accepted
criteria be considered” ; but the difficulty of so doing
lies, of course, in the words “ generally accepted.”
142. Ussher on Irish Birds.
(The Bird Fauna of Ireland as affected by its Geography, By R. J
Ussher. Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1902, pp. 658-660. ]
In this article Mr. Ussher gives a useful summary of the
effect of the geographical character of Ireland on the distri-
bution of its birds and on their occurrence in the country.
Isolated mountains and abundance of lakes are important
factors in the distribution, while the lack of manufactures
im many places, and the absence of persecution of birds,
apart from game, conduce greatly to the preservation of
rare species.
Though the Common Buzzard, the Capercaillie, and the
Bittern are no longer to be found in the island, and Kagles,
Harriers, the Red-throated Diver, and so forth are now
extremely rare, the Mistletoe-Thrush, Crossbill, Starling,
Magpie, Shoveler, Redshank, and Woodcock have decidedly
increased—not to mention other species—while the abun-
dance of suitable haunts make Waders, Ducks, Grebes, and
more particularly cliff-birds, exceptionally plentiful.
The Irish coasts bear a certain resemblance as regards
their avifauna to those of Scotland, while the Common Gull
and the: Red-breasted Merganser here find their most
southern breeding-quarters.
Mr. Ussher also discusses the routes of migration of birds
with respect to Ireland.
143. Wiglesworth on St. Kildan Birds.
[St. Kilda and its Birds. A Lecture delivered before the Liverpool
Biological Society on an Ornithological Expedition to the Island in the
Summer of 1902. By J. Wiglesworth. Reprinted from the Trans.
Liverpool Biological Soc. 8vo. Liverpool, 1903. 69 pp 5 pls.
Price 2s. |
Many books and articles have been written on St. Kilda and
630 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
its Ornithology, but the present pamphlet cannot be said
to be superfluous, for we are much pleased with the clear
and life-like description of the island and its inhabitants,
their methods of fowling, collecting eggs, and so forth. The
account of the capture of a Great Auk about 1840 is once
more given from the lips of the grandson of one of the men
concerned, and a complete list of the birds of St. Kilda is
appended, to which the White Wagtail is an addition. A
new breeding-station of the Fork-tailed Petrel was discovered
by Mr. Wiglesworth on Levenish, but it is with the greatest
regret that we find corroboration of the large numbers of its
eggs (300-400) that are taken annually by the natives.
144. Winge on the Fossil Birds of Denmark.
[Om jordfundne Fugle fra Danmark. Af Herluf Winge. Vidensk.
Meddel. fra den Naturh. Foren. i Kjébenhayn, 1903, pp. 61-110, tab. 1.]
In this well-arranged memoir the author has put together a
summary of what is at present known concerning the fossil
birds of Denmark, which, though numerous, are all from the
most recent formations. Altogether bones belonging to
65 species are recognised, nearly all of which are members
of the existing avifauna. A left humerus, found by Steen-
strup in 1854 in Ordrup Moss, near Christiansholm, appears
to belong to one of the smaller species of (Mstrelata.
It is described and figured, along with corresponding bones
of other Petrels for comparison. Many bones of Alca
impennis are registered from various localities. A portion of
a sternum of Pelecanus crispus is attributed to the Older
Stone-age, so that the Pelican certainly visited Denmark
in former days.
XLIV.—Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
Wu have received the following letters addressed to “ The
Editors of ‘The Ibis’ ” :—
Srrs,—In ‘The Ibis’ for 1897, pp. 364-5, I wrote an
article on the nesting of Cassicus persicus and other birds of
the Lower Amazon. I there stated that the Japu (Ostinops
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &e, 631
decumanus) employs among its building-materials in this
district large quantities of a black hair-like substance, much
like horsehair or delicate and elongated roots in appearance,
which botanical researches, made in our Museum, had
proved to be a Lichen, but of which it was not then
possible to ascertain the exact scientific name. Some
time afterwards Dr. v. Ihering, Director of the Sio Paulo
Museum, wrote and told me that I was in error, and had
mistaken for a Lichen what was nothing more than the
fibre of the well-known Bromeliacean epiphyte Tillandsia
usneoides. I answered him at once that such a mistake
was out of the question, from the simple fact that the
Tillandsia (well-known to me from many years’ residence in
Southern Brazil) was not found on the Lower Amazon. To
this Dr. v. Ihering replied that here again I had made a
mistake, my assertion that the Tillandsia did not exist on
the Lower Amazon being contrary to the fact !
As may be supposed, I was rather surprised at the courage
of Dr. v. Ihering in denying, without the slightest evidence,
facts that were known to us on the Lower Amazon as matters
of daily observation. But I was still more surprised when I
found that my colleague in So Paulo, in the ‘ Revista do
Museu Paulista’ (vol. iv. pp. 195, 218), had proclaimed to
the whole world my supposed errors in such terms as could
not be taken otherwise than in an unfriendly sense.
It was obvious that my colleague Dr. J. Huber, Head of
the Botanical Section of the Para Museum, could not allow
such an attack against his professional capacity to pass
without remark. He has, therefore, written and published
in the ‘ Boletin do Museu Paranese’ (vol. iii. pp. 828, 343)
an article on the question (“ Sobre os materiales do ninho do
Japu”’), of which I send you a copy. In this article Dr.
Huber has demonstrated most clearly the incorrectness of
Dr. v. Ihering’s assertions respecting the nest-building
materials used by the Os¢inops in this district, and has shown
by description and figures the structural differences between
the supposed Lichen on the one hand and the fibres of the
Tillandsia on the other; the only modification to be made
632 — Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
in my original assertion of 1897 being that the Cryptogam,
to which the hair-like substance supposed to be a Lichen
appertains, turns out, on further examination, to be a
rhizomorph of the genus Marasmius and therefore not
a Lichen. Dr. Huber’s studies on this subject have been
confirmed, it will be observed, by Herr Paul Hennings,
the Mycologist of the Royal Museum of Berlin, to whom
examples of the disputed substance have been furnished.
As regards the existence of Ostinops decumanus in the
State of Para, which Dr. v. Ihering appears to question
in a recent letter addressed to me, there can really be no
doubt at all. The presence of this species in many places
ou the Lower Amazon has been testified by well-known
Naturalists of former and recent days—such as Natterer,
Prince Adalbert of Prussia, and other authorities whom I
need not mention. In the vicinity of Para the Japu has
been regularly seen and obtained since 1894 by the taxider-
mists of our Museum, and, I may add, has been personally
observed by the Director. It is, in fact, found throughout
the Lower Amazonian district, and in certain localities is
rather a common bird, well known to everyone.
Thus, whatever may be said to the contrary, the employ-
ment of the mycelium of a species of Marasmius in the nests
of Ostinops decumanus and the frequent occurrence of this
bird in Lower Amazonia are two scientific facts, the truth of
which cannot be fairly disputed.
Yours &e.,
Goeldi Museum, Para, Brazil, Dr. Emit A. GoEpi.
July 15th, 1903.
Srrs,—In an article “ On the Eggs of the Moa,” by Dr. A.
B. Meyer, in the April number of ‘ The Ibis’ (above, p. 188),
there are some statements which, with your permission, I
desire to correct.
In discussing the entire Moa’s egg, now in the Otago
University Museum (No. 2 in the article), Dr. Meyer has
been misinformed as to several of the facts, which are,
however, correctly stated in my brief note on the egg in the
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 633
Trans. New Zealand Institute for 1901 (p. 149), to which, it is
true, he refers, but in rather a casual fashion, although it is
the only authoritative account of the egg hitherto published.
The first sentence (p. 190) on this subject leads the reader
to suppose that the locality in which the egg was found is
uncertain: the writer appears to rely on Sir W. Buller’s
information, which, in several instances, is erroneous and in
all cases is at any rate secondhand. The sentence runs: The
egg “was found .... in one of the Otago rivers, the
Clutha or Molyneux.” As a matter of fact, both these
names are given to one and the same river, but are applied to
different parts ofits course. My note above referred to records
the precise spot at which the egg was found in the river.
Again, though this is of little general importance, the
** Government” had nothing whatever to do with the matter
of the purchase or disposal of the egg: the egg was claimed
by the Directors of the Dredging Co., who, however, to
avoid litigation, permitted the finder (one of their employés)
to sell it ; in fact, one of the Directors purchased it from the
latter for our Museum.
The specific name of the Moa, which, as I suggested, may
have laid this egg, is misprinted in Dr. Meyer’s article ;
it should read “Huryapteryx ponderosus ”’—a species described
by Hutton in Trans. N.Z. Inst. vol. xxiv. p. 187.
The “rather insufficient illustration” given by me, to
which Dr. Meyer refers, is a photograph, not well produced,
shewing the true shape of the only perfect specimen of Moa’s
egg. ‘The previously published figures, being from “ recon-
structions of the egg,” such as those made by Mantell, or
from casts of the same, are not always correct in outline.
My figure seemed to be of value in this direction, and as the
markings on Moa’s eggs had already been accurately figured
by more than one writer I did not deem it necessary to
repeat the details.
“Egg 3” (p. 190).—I believe that Dr. Meyer is correct
in associating the egg mentioned by his informant, Mr.
Barnekow, with that referred to by me in 1901 on p. 150 of
the above-mentioned article; but, as Mr. Barnekow writes
SER. VII1.-—-VOL. II. aT
634 Letters, Extracts,.Notices, &e.
from the North Island and the egg was found in the southern
part of the South Island of New Zealand (something like 500
miles away), the statement ‘‘some hundred miles” should
have been ‘‘ some hundreds of miles” from his place.
“Egg 5” (p. 192) is the same as “ Egg 7.” It belonged
to Miss Turton, who was good enough to deposit, it in this
Museum; but, on my obtaining the complete egg (No. 2), I
returned it to her. It was found at Clyde and Miss Turton
lives at Queenstown, hence the confusion.
“Kee 6” (p. 192).—Mr. Hamilton informs me that the
fragments in his possession ‘ are too imperfect to be called
an egg.”
Many fragments of eggs of Moas are in the possession of
this Museum and of various private individuals in the Colony.
I may refer here to certain fragments of a green egg-shell
found in 1875 by Mr. T. White ina cave near Mt. Nicholas,
Otago, which was identified by Capt. Hutton as that of a
Moa (see Trans. N.Z. Inst. 1875, p. 101): these are now
exhibited in this Museum.
Let me add another to the list of eggs given by Dr. Meyer.
I have, in addition to egg No. 2, a nearly complete egg,
rather larger than it, but broken at one end. It was found in
the same locality as Nos. 2 and 3 and by the same individual.
It was evidently laid by the same species of Moa as most of
the other Otago specimens. The surface of the shell is very
little corroded, and shews the typical markings much better
than that described by me in 1901.
Finally, there is a misprint in Dr. Meyer’s article (p. 196):
the illustration given by Owen is referred to as “ plate exix.,”
which should read “ xcix.”
Yours &c.,
Otago University Museum, W. Buaxitanp Brennan.
Dunedin, N.Z.,
July 27th, 1903.
SIRs ,—
In the year 1900 Mr. Harry F. Witherby contributed a
very interesting article to ‘The Ibis’ (p. 475) on the birds
of the Kola Peninsula, Russian Lapland. During our visit
to that country this year we met with examples of the
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 635
following six species which do not appear to have been pre-
viously recorded by him or by others as occurring there :—
Eversmann’s Warbler (Piylloscopus borealis), Sedge-
Warbler( A crocephalus phragmitis) Swallow( Hirundo rustica),
Rook (Cervus frugilegus), Wen-Harrier (Circus cyaneus),
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaétus).
Yours, &e.
Henry Pearson,
Bramcote, Notts. J. P. Cuawortru Musters.
19th September, 1903.
Report of the British Museum (Natural History) for 1902.
—The Annual Report to Parliament on the progress of the
British Museum contains much that is interesting concerning
the great National Collection of Birds, from which we
extract the following particulars :—
Among the “ publications in preparation ” are announced
vols. iv. and v. of the ‘ Hand-list of Birds, by Dr. R.
Bowdler Sharpe, and vols. ii. and iv. of the ‘Catalogue of
Birds’ Eggs ’—vol. 11. prepared by Mr. E. W. Oates and
Capt. Savile Reid and vol. iv. by Capt. Savile Reid. These
works are of primary importance to all ornithologists and
>)
their completion is anxiously awaited.
A large series of the eggs of the Guillemot (Uria troile)
has been placed in the “ Index Museum,”
the great variation in shape, ground-colour, and markings
in order to shew
of the egg which may occur in a single species of Bird.
Under the heading ‘‘ Aves” we are informed that the re-
arrangement of the specimens in the Public Gallery has
been “greatly retarded by want of funds.” The remounting
of the Birds of Prey and Owls has been completed, and
many of the British Passeres have been replaced by more
artistically mounted specimens. The preparation of these
has been carried out by Mr. Cullingford of Durham.
The accessions to the bird-collection during the past year
amounted to 8628, among which the following are men-
tioned as worthy of special notice :—162 birds from New
Zealand and the Cook Islands, presented by the Earl of
Ranfurly ; 48 birds from Mashonaland, presented by Mr. J.
Ffolliot Darling; 48 birds from the Sudan, presented by
6386 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
Mr. R. M. Hawker; 212 birds from Nyasaland, presented
by Sir Alfred Sharpe, K.C.M.G.; 68 birds from New
Guinea, including examples of two species new to the
Collection, presented by Capt. F. R. Barton; 485 birds and
102 eggs from Fohkien, presented by Mr. C. B. Ricketts;
an example of the nearly extinct Antarctic Merganser
(Merganser australis) from Auckland Island, presented by
Lieut. Kennett Dixon, R.N.; 2220 eggs from Eastern Asia,
Australia, and North America, presented by Mr. W. H.
Radcliffe Saunders, C.E.; 3 specimens of the Sicilian Long-
tailed Titmouse (Acredula sicula), presented by Mr. J. I. S.
Whitaker; the types of 17 new species of birds from Mount
Ruwenzori and the Toro forests, presented by Mr. F. J.
Jackson, C.B.; 118 birds from the vicinity of Buenos Ayres,
presented by Mr. Ernest Gibson ; 82 specimens of Birds of
Prey from Western Australia, presented by the Perth
Museum ; 617 birds from Western Yunnan, including the
types of several new species, presented by Col. C. Rippon ;
8 Bean and Pink-footed Geese from Holland, presented by
Mr. T. M. Pike and Mr. H. Leybourne Popham; 20 birds
from the Liu-kiu Islands, presented by the Hon. N. C.
Rothschild ; 10 birds from Australia, including an example
of Pseudogerygone tenebrosa, presented by Mr. Robert Hall ;
60 birds from the Egyptian Sudan, presented by Capt. H.
N. Dunn ; 46 eggs from various localities received in ex-
change from Mr. H. E. Dresser; 7 birds from the Caspian,
including examples of Bernicla ruficollis and Anser rhodo-
_ rhynchus, received in exchange from Mr. S. Neroutcheff ;
2300 birds from Ecuador, collected by the late P. O. Simons,
purchased ; 231 birds from Cameroon, collected by Mr. G.
L. Bates, purchased; 91 birds from Harar, collected by
M. P. Zaphiro, purchased ; 91 birds from Cyprus, collected
by Mr. C. Glassner, purchased; 87 eggs from Assain,
collected by Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker, purchased; and 160
birds from the Yemen frontier, collected by Mr. C. W. Bury,
purchased.
In the report of the Geological Department we are told
that important bird-bones from Madagascar, received in the
last “ Sikora” Collection, have been registered and arranged
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 637
in drawers for future study; also that 13 bones of birds
from the Santa Cruz Formation in Patagonia have been pre-
sented by Mr. C. Arthur Pearson, and that some bones of
Aipyornis from caverns in Madagascar have been acquired.
Return of the ‘Valhalla’—The Earl of Crawford, F.R.S.,
returned to the Solent in August last after a successful passage
round the world in the R.Y.S. ‘ Valhalla” Mr. M. J. Nicoll,
M.B.O.U., who accompanied him as Naturalist, and whose
progress we have already recorded (cf. supra, p. 456), has
made a collection of some 1500 specimens, which will be
arranged and determined at the British Museum. ‘The birds,
with which we are immediately concerned, are about 250 in
number, the short stays at the various halting-places having
somewhat interfered with this branch of the Collection ; but
series were obtained in the Magellan Straits, Valparaiso, the
Fiji Islands, and the Samoan Islands, besides the specimens
collected at sea, among which are sure to be found some of
considerable interest. We hope that Mr. Nicoll will be able
to give us an account of his adventures and observations
in this Journal.
The Meeting of American Ornithologists in Calfornia,—
Both ‘The Auk’ and ‘The Condor,’ in their lately issued
numbers, give accounts of the conjoint meeting im May last
of the “ American Ornithologists’ Union” and the “ Cooper
Ornithological Club” in California, which appears to have
been very well planned and successfully carried out. The
Eastern Members of the A. O. C. assembled at Chicago, and
left that city on May 3rd for San Francisco by the Santa
Fé route. Halts were made at Santa Fé, at Adamana,
and in the Little Colorado desert of Eastern Arizona, where
the wonderful petrified forests were inspected. A “side-
trip” of two days enabled the travellers to visit the Grand
Canyon of the Colorado, and halts were also arranged
at Hesperia (where the famous Yucca-trees were examined)
and Los Angelos, where a hospitable reception was tendered
to the party by the southern members of the Cooper Club.
The first meeting of the two Societies was held at San
Francisco on May 1dth in the hall of the Academy of
638 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
Sciences of California, when Dr. C. Hart Merriam, President
of the A. O. U., took the Chair; while Mr. Charles R. Keyes,
of the Cooper Club, acted as Secretary. During this and
the following meetings 13 papers were read, the titles of
which are given in Dr. Allen’s report in ‘The Auk.?- Among
these is a remarkable essay by Mr. L. M. Loomis on the
recognition of geographical varieties in Nomenclature, which
is printed at fuil length in the same number of ‘The Auk’
and deserves special attention. Thirteen Eastern Ornith-
ologists were present at the Meeting, amongst whom we
observe the names of Dr. Allen, Mr. F. M. Chapman, and
other well-known naturalists.
The Penguins of Gauss-land.—The Penguins of the newly
discovered Gauss-berg seem to belong to the same two
species as those of South Victoria Land, namely, Aptenodytes
forstert and Pygosceles adelie. They are thus described
by Dr. Drygalski (see Geogr. Journ. 19038, vol. xxii.
p- 198) :—‘“* We met with two species of Penguin, the small
Adelia Penguin and the Emperor Penguin. The former
we noticed on our way through the pack, and for a short
time in autumn (February to March) at the Station before
the ice had quite come to rest, and again from November
onwards when it began to get loose again. The Emperor
Penguins were less common in the pack, but increased in
numbers southwards towards the fixed ice, and were our
constant companions at the Station throughout the year,
Both shewed the same unsuspiciousness of man, and only on
our return voyage through the pack were they at all shy of
us. They differed, however, decidedly in temperament.
While the small Penguins hurried towards us full of life and
movement, croaking, almost snarling like angry dogs, and
barring our way as if ready to attack us, though merely
acting in absolute innocence of danger, and many got among
the dogs and lost their lives, the larger Penguins made off
slowly with philosophical composure. They stopped before
strange objects, making their presence known by trumpet-
like tones or loud croaking, and only attempted to escape, if
at all, when one stood close to them. Then they let them-
Letters, Extracts, Notices, &e. 639
selves down on to the ice, and skimmed over it quickly, using
their feet for propulsion, and steering with their wings. We
noticed the small Penguins only in small groups, while the
larger ones passed by the ship in spring and autumn in flocks
numbering as many as two hundred. We found especial
pleasure in watching them in the leads, whence they would
spring up on to the ice, and there continue their way in a
swimming posture. The spectator had need to take care
that the birds, some of them as much as 75 lbs. in weight,
did not strike him in springing out of the water.
“The larger Penguins were very useful to us as food,
especially for the dogs. These consumed for some time three
Penguins a day. ‘The skins and fat were burned, and so
saved our fuel. The consumption of the expedition amounted
in all to more than five hundred Penguins. Others fell a
prey to our dogs.”
The Red-cheeked Ibis in Europe.—A further article on this
bird and on its former existence in Europe (cf. Ibis, 1898,
p. 454) is given in the lately issued seventh volume of the new
edition of Naumann (Nat. Vig. Mitteleuropas, vii. p. 199).
Additional information on this interesting subject will also
be found in a paper by Herr Schuster of Mainz (Orn.
Monatschr. d. Deuts. Ver. z. Schutze d. Vogelwelt, 1902,
p- 520), from which it appears that the Red-cheeked Ibis
was formerly found on the high rocks on the Danube in the
vicinity of Passau and Kehlheim. We agree with Herr
Schuster that the best name of this bird is Geronticus eremita,
as it is not necessary to separate it generically from G. calvus
of South Africa. Our readers may also be referred on this
subject to pp. x, 95, of Mr. A. H. Evans’s translation of
Turner’s ‘Avium ... Historia’ just issued.
Death of Capt. H. F. Francis —In his Report on the
South African Museum for the year ending Dee. 31st,
1901, which has been lately published, Mr. W. L. Sclater
laments the death of Capt. H. F. Francis, of Steinacker’s
Horse, who was killed in action on the Sabi River, in the
Eastern Transvaal, towards the close of the war. His
younger brother, Walter Francis, had fallen previously
610 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
when proceeding to the relief of Mafeking. The South
African Museum thus lost two excellent correspondents,
who had largely contributed to its collections from the
Yastern Transvaal and Portuguese East Africa (cf. Ibis,
1900, pp. 111, 283).
“Their work was specially valuable, as every specimen col-
lected was very carefully and thoroughly labelled with all the
necessary details, and in addition with notes on the habits.”
Mr. W. Eagle Clarke-—We are much pleased to hear that
Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, whose very successful experiences at
the Eddystone Lighthouse we have had the pleasure of
recording in this Journal, has obtained permission from the
authorities at Trimity House to pass a month during the
present season of migration on the lightship off the mouth
of the Thames at the Kentish Knock, which is about
21 miles from the nearest point of land. In this position
Mr. Eagle Clarke will have excellent opportunities of study-
ing the autumnal passages of migratory birds from east to
west across the German Ocean, concerning which accurate
information is much required.
Twelfth Supplement to the Check-list of North-American
Birds.—‘ The Auk?’ for July contains a new Supplement to
the ‘ Check-list of North-American Birds,’ prepared by the
Committee of the A.O.U. The “ Additions to the List
and accepted Changes in Nomenclature” are more than
120 in number. We have no wish to criticize these, but
may express a fear that such changes as the proposed
substitution of ‘ Tinnunculus” for ‘* salon” will create
much confusion and that the revival of the (happily forgotten)
generic term Hrolia will not be generally accepted. It cannot
be truly stated that Vieillot’s Erolia variegata refers “ un-
questionably” to the Curlew Sandpiper. Amongst the
“species and subspecies not adopted,” we see three of the
subspecies of Otocorys recently proposed by Mr. Oberholser
(cf. supra, p. 128). There is a formidable list of names
“deferred for future consideration,” so that the Committee
has by no means as yet concluded its labours.
INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Aburria, 458.
Acanthiza magnirostris,
612.
rufifrons, 612.
Acantkopneuste borealis,
24.
coronata, 24.
Acanthyllis bicolor, 400.
Accentor jerdoni, 505,
516, 544.
Accipiter gularis, 218.
nisus, 31, 78, 605.
— pileatus, 465.
virgatus, 78, 218.
Acredula caudata, 529,
sicula, 636.
tephronota, 529,
Acridotheres tristis, 119.
Acrocephalus agricola,
23.
bisteigiceps, 23.
orientalis, 28, 215,
—— —— celebensis, 622.
palustris, 543.
—— phragmitis, 635.
stentoreus, 543.
turdoides, 548.
Actitis macularia, 304.
Adelinus obscurus, 343.
Aédon familiaris, 543.
galactodes, 199, 207.
JEgialitis, 116.
alexandrina, 33,
214.
—— dubia,
565.
—— fluviatilis, 565.
— pecuaria, 236,
semipalmata, 300,
446, 453.
tricollaris, 236.
vocifera, 300.
— wilsonia, 300.
162, 398,
SER. VIII.—VOL. III.
curonica, 199, 201, |
1903.
/Kgithaliseus pulchellus,
585.
Kgithina tiphia, 592.
Adpyornis, 188, 189,
636.
JEsalon, 640.
chiquera, 80.
regulus, 31.
ZEthiops canicapillus,
349.
Kthiopsar fuscus, 119.
/Kthiopyga dabryi, 600.
nepalensis, 600.
sanguinipectus, 600.
saturata, 600.
Agapornis pullaria, 401,
roseicollis, 625.
Agelus bryanti, 290.
—— pheeniceus, 291.
bryanti, 290.
Agriornis andicola, 450.
Alario alario, 224, 225.
Alauda, 90.
-— arborea, 203, 211,
507, 526.
— arvensis, 30, 526.
cantarella, 526.
cristata, 90.
Alcea alle, 618.
impennis, 630.
Alcedo ispida, 30, 53, |
201, 212, 558.
leucogaster, 390.
Aleippe fratercula, 589.
phayrii, 589.
Alcurus striatus, 594.
Alethe alexandri, 378,
379.
—— custanea, 377.
castanonota, 3878,
379.
—— hypoleuea, 378.
— moori, 377.
poliocephala, 378.
Alseonax latirostris, 24.
—— obscura, 383.
Alsocomus pulchricollis,
605.
Amadina poensis, 352.
Amaurornis akool, 155.
fuseus, 155.
—— phenicurus, 155,
606.
Amazona
295.
Amblyospiza eethiopiea,
126,
Aminodramus sandwich-
ensis savanna, 290.
Ammomanes akeleyi,
131.
assabensis, 131.
deserti, 131, 524.
saturata, 131.
Ammoperdix bonhami,
569.
Ampelion cucullatis, 421.
Ampelis garrulus, 2+.
—— phenicopterus, 24,
216.
Amydrus caffer, 223.
elgonensis, 308.
morio, 223.
—— tristrami, 327.
—— walleri, 358.
Anas americana, 311.
arborea, 310.
— bahamensis, 311.
—— boscas, 35, 175, 563.
—— circia, 328.
—— obscura, 117.
- rubripes, 117.
— pecilorhyncha, 175.
sparsa, 237.
Anastomus oscitans, 170.
leucocephala,
Andropadus — graciliros-
tris, 399.
latirostris, 361,
virens, 361.
Anodorhynchus hyacin-
thinus, 483, 485, 486,.
487, 495, 498.
2U
642 —
Anorthura cypriotes,
575.
Anous stolidus, 315.
Auser sp.. 35.
albifrons, 118, 173.
gambeli, 117.
brachyrhynchus,
173.
—- erythropus, 118,
173.
—— ferus, 173.
— gambeli, 118.
—— indicus, 173.
—— oatesi, 222.
paludosus, 609.
—— rhodorhynchus,
636.
— rubrirostris, 222.
— ruficollis, 563.
—— segetum, 609.
—— serrirostris, 39.
Anthocinela — phayrii,
601.
Anthodizxta ecyanolzema,
343.
—-~ hypodelos, 346.
hypodila, 346.
subcollaris, 346.
tephrolaema, 347.
Antbhothreptes collaris,
fraseri, 344, 345.
hypodila, 346.
idius, 345, 346.
tephrolema, 346,
347.
Anthreptes fraseri, 344.
Anthropoides virgo, 157,
621.
Anthus campestris, 528.
cervinus, 528.
— maculatus, 29.
—— nove-zealandiz
chathamensis, 619.
reischeki,
619.
steindachneri,
619.
pratensis, 118.
—- pyrrhonotus, 226.
rufulus, 226.
similis, 406, 407.
sordidus, 528.
spinoletta, 29.
trivialis, 528.
Apalis cinerea, 374.
lopesi, 373.
—— lopezi, 373.
olivacea, 372.
rufigularis, 371,
372, 373.
aan
INDEX OF
Apalis scita, 228.
sclateri, 374.
sharpii, 373.
Aprosmictus, 626.
Aptenodytes forsteri,
6388.
Aquila sp., 31.
— bifasciata, 31, 69.
chrysaétus, 213,
635,
fulvescens, 70.
hastata, 70.
heliaca, 68, 69.
—— maculata, 70, 604.
—— pennata, 328.
vindhiana, 69, 77.
Ara sp., 485.
chloroptera,
498.
——macao, 477, 495,
496, 498.
severa, 485.
Arachnechthra
600.
klossi, 426.
Arachnothera fraseri,
344.
-—— wagna, 601.
Aramides chirieote, 444,
480, 496, 500.
Aramus — scolopaceus,
460.
Arboricola brunneipec-
tus, 606.
ricketti, 219.
-—— rufigularis, 606.
Archeopteryx, 450, 609.
Archibuteo strophiatus,
218.
Ardea audax, 318.
—- bahamensis, 306.
— bubuleus, 198, 213.
—— cerulea, 306.
—— calceolata, 178.
cinerea, 34, 170,
INAlle
cocoi, 461, 483.
cyanirostris, 305,
—— egretta, 304.
—— gularis, 398.
— herodias, 304.
——- lentiginosus, 308.
—— leuce, 483, 488,
496, 5UO.
—- leucogastra leuco-
prymna, 305.
manillensis, 170.
—— monticola, 317.
—— pealii, 306.
—— rufa, 305, 306.
-~-— rufeseens, 308.
486,
asiatica,
Ardea tricolor, 307.
——— ruficollis,
305.
- virescens, 306, 482,
496, 500.
Ardeola grayi,
Wale
Ardetta cinnamomea,
172.
exilis, 808.
—— minuta, 328, 563.
sinensis, 172.
Arenaria —_interpres,
301.
Argya acacia. 535.
-— fulva, 201, 207.
— huttoni, 504, 53d.
malcolmi, 57, 71.
Arremon callistus, 424.
—— polionotus, 424,
silens, 499.
Arundinax aédon, 23,
Altay
Asio, 46, 47.
accipitrinus, 37, 45,
61, 412, 560.
capensis, 3.
— otus, 31].
sandvicensis, 413.
Astur badius, 77.
brevipes, 562.
——- griseogularis obien-
sis, 419.
— lopesi, 398.
— lopezi, 38.
— obsoletus, 426.
rufu-sehistaceus,
262.
169,
tachiro nyansz,
126.
—— toussenelli, 398.
—— (Micronisus) bre-
vipes, 562.
Asturina magnirostris,
483, 495, 497.
pucberani, 465.
Athene braina, 63, 64.
-—-— chiaradix, 1-18,
137, 138, 140.
— glaux, 13, 559.
noctua, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
foye tO), Wl, eR eh ye!
Lay Loy de 137; 13s}
140, 218.
bactriana,
d59.
Attieora cyanoleuca, 450,
456.
—— fasciata, 480, 483,
485, 489, 495, 499,
Aulia tertia, 255,
Automolus selateri, 497,
499.
Aythya affinis, 311.
Baleniceps, 123.
Bambusicola fytchii,
606.
Baptornis advena, 423.
Barbatula leucolema,
393.
scolopacea, 394.
——— subsulphurea, 394.
Barnardius barnardi,
626.
zonarius, 626.
Bartramia longicauda,
460.
Basilinna leucotis, 414.
Baris minulla, 386, 387.
poensis, 386,
Baza lophotes, 605.
Bernicla jubata, 246.
ruficollis, 636.
Bhringa remifer, 595,
Blacicus bahamensis,
292.
Bleda notata, 362.
serinus, 362.
tephrolema, 363.
Bolborhynehus, 131.
aymara, 453.
— orbignyi, 448.
rubrirostris, 448,
Bostrychia, 179, 183.
carunculata, 182.
ochracea, 186.
olivacea, 186.
Botaurus lentiginosus,
275, 308.
stellaris, 34, 172.
Brachypternus aurantius,
D0.
Brachyurus
240.
Bradypterus cettii, 536.
Branta ruficollis, 563.
Brotogerys, 151, 625,
——- tui, 626.
— tuipara, 481, 498.
virescens, 626.
Bubo, 48.
——— bengalensis, 62.
cinerascens, 3.
——- coromandus, 62.
— fasciolatus, 402.
lacteus, 3.
— mnuculosus, 233.
poensis, 401, 403.
—— shelleyi, 3.
—— virginianus, 466,
gularis,
SCIENTIFIC NAMES,
Bubo virginianus elachis-
tus, 414.
Bubuleus coromandus,
vale
Bucco hyperrhynchus,
479, 498.
stellatus, 394.
—— striatipectus, 468.
-— subsulphureus, 394.
tamatia, 498.
Buceros atratus, 401.
poensis, 401, 4015,
— rhinoceros, 120.
Budytes melanocephalus,
O27.
— taivanus, 621.
Burnesia gracilis lepida, |
504, 536.
—- lepida, 536.
Butalis fraseri, 383.
Butastur teesa, 72.
Butec borealis, 274,
290%
umbrinus,
296.
desertorum,
ont.
erythronotus, 447,
465.
ferox, 77, 433.
—— krideri, 144.
vulgaris, 2.3.
——— zimmermanns,
621.
Butorides javanica, 172.
odgd
dd,
Caceabis chukar, 32,
570.
saxatilis chukar,
505, 570.
Cacomantis meeki, 262.
- merulinus, 217.
passerinus, 98.
Cactornis inornata, 427.
Caica vulturina, 497,
498.
Cairina moschata, 444,
465, 477, 482, 496,
500.
Calamanthus montanel-
lus, 612.
Calamocichla brevi-
pennis, 376, 377.
gracilirostris, 376.
—— jacksoni, 126.
—— newtoni, 576.
poensis, 576.
Calamodus melanopogon,
542.
Calamodyta phragmitis,
621,
643
Calandrella _brachy-
dactyla, 525.
—— minor, 198, 200,
211.
Calendula crassirostris,
225.
Calidris arenaria, 303,
482.
Callene cyornithopsis,
Stoll.
hypoleuea, 378.
isrbellae, 380.
-—— poensis, 380
roberti, 380.
Callichelidon cyaneo-
viridis, 287.
Calliope camtschatken-
sis, 25.
Calliste, 479.
— boliviana, 498.
Camaroptera concolor,
369.
flavigularis, 370.
granti, 369.
superciliaris, 370.
Campephaga compta,
427.
Cainpophilusleuecopogon,
468.
rubricollis, 498.
trachelopyrus, 498,
Campsothlypis ameri-
cana, 278.
Cancruma cochlearia,
480), 488, 500.
Caprimulgus egyptius,
504, 557.
albonotatus, 56.
asiaticus, 56.
— bartelsi, 416.
europeus, 212, 231,
5b6, 557.
unwint, 546,
—- macrurus, 56, 603.
—— parvulus, 467.
— rufigena, 231.
tamaricis, 327.
Carduclis elegans, 210,
521.
major, 521.
Carpodacus — erythrinus,
27, GOO.
Casarea cana, 237.
rutila, 35, 174.
Cassicus hzemorrhous,
498.
persicus, 478, 479,
485, 498, 630.
Cassidix oryzivora, 498.
Cassinia fraseri, 33,
B84.
2uU2
644.
Cassinia rubricauda, 384.
Cathartes atratus, 457.
aura, 274, 298.
urubitinga, 481,
483, 496, 497.
urubu, 481,
483, 497.
Celeus jumana, 498.
Centrites niger, 450.
oreas, 450.
Centropus bengalensis,
416.
grilli, £16.
nigrorufus, 416.
purpureus, 416.
sinensis, 59.
Cerasophila thompsoni,
592.
Ceratogymna atrata,
401.
Cerchneis tinnunculus,
D611.
Certhia discolor, 595.
familiaris, 22, 577,
482,
—- brachydactyla,
578.
harterti, 577.
Certhilauda alaudipes,
525.
desertorum, 525.
rufula, 226.
Certhiola bahamensis,
286.
Certhiparus
318, 319.
nove-zealandiax,
iltey cop)
ochrocephalus, 318,
319.
Ceryle sp., 485, 488, 495,
496
albicillus,
aleyon, 293.
——— amazona, 454, 498.
—-— americana, 454,481,
482, 498.
rudis, 231,
BAS.
torquata, 478, 481,
482, 483, 486, 498.
varia, 53, 54.
401,
Cettia orientalis, 586,
537.
sericea, 536.
Ceuthmochares eneus,
392
© ame
Ceyx meeki, 262.
Cheetocercus burmeisteri,
445,
Cheetura sabinii, 400.
Chalcites auratus, 393.
INDEX OF
Chaleomitra angolensis,
341.
Chaleophaps indica, 149,
605.
Chamezpelia bahamensis,
299.
passerina, 299, 481,
499.
Chameepetes, 458.
Charadrius dominicus,
446.
fulvus, 162.
—— pluvialis, 162.
— squatarola, 300.
Chasiempis, 114.
Chaulelasmus streperus,
175.
Chauna cristata, 464,
Chelidon erythrogaster,
287.
urbica, 553.
Chelidoptera tenebrosa,
481, 482, 483, 486, 498.
Chelidorhynx hypoxan-
thus, 598.
Chen hyperboreus. 247.
——— rossi, 245, 246, 247.
Chenalopex egyptiaca,
237.
jubatus, 464.
Chettusia coronata, 286.
gregaria, 162.
leucura, 162, 325,
565.
villoteei, 565.
Chibia cuyensis, 414.
Chiromacheris manacus,
481, 499.
Chiroxiphia caudata, 240,
AN
Chloephaga dispar, 246.
—— magellanica, 246.
Chloris sinica, 27.
Chlorochrysa, 116.
fulgentissima,
266.
hedwige, 135, 136,
266.
Chlorodyta flavida, 374.
Chloronerpes flavigula,
479, 498.
Chloropeta icterica, 370.
natalensis umbrini-
ceps, 126.
olivacea, 372.
Chlorophoueus dohertyi,
255.
Chloropsis
592.
Chlorostilbon aureoven-
tris, 445, 449, 468.
135,
hardwickii,
Chordeiles minor, 292.
Chrysococcyx auratus,
393.
cupreus, 392.
smaragdineus, 233,
392.
Chrysomiftris spinus, 27.
uropygialis, 451.
Chrysophlegma — flayi-
nucha, 601.
—— ricketti, 217.
Chrvsoptilus cristatus,
468.
Chrysotis zstiva, 467.
amazonica, 479, 495,
496, 498.
collaria, 295.
inornata, 498.
—— leucocephala, 295.
Chunga burmeisteri, 445.
Ciconia alba, 169, 237,
563, 581.
boyciana, 221.
Cinclodes bifasciat us, 449.
Cinclus albicollis, 505,
550.
aquaticus, 204, 205,
550.
albicollis,
cashmiriensis,
550.
olympicus, 573.
—— pallasi, 599.
—— rufiventris, 550.
Cinnyris angolensis, 541.
-— chloronotis, 343.
chloropygia, 340,
341.
— cyanolemus, 348.
—— hypodila, 346.
infrenata, 419.
obscura, 343.
—— oritis, 344.
osere, 326.
poensis, 344.
—— preussi, 340, 375.
ursule, 342.
Circaétus gallicus, 7],
PBL QB}.
Circus sruginosus, 76
562.
— cineraceus, 76, 327.
—— cyaneus, 31, 635.
—— gouldi. 612.
— hudsonius, 296.
—— macrurus, 76, 562.
-—— melanoleucus, 31,76.
Cisticola fulvicapilla, 228.
—— subruficapilla, 228,
—— terrestris, 228,
’
Cittocincla macrura, 598.
omissa, 254.
Clangula glaucion, 177,
320.
Clitonyx, 319.
Cnipolegus anthracinus,
455.
Coccothraustes japonicus,
27, 216.
olivaceus, 347.
vulgaris, 210, 327.
Coccystes glandarius,
5d6, 578.
hypopinarius, 232.
jacobinus, 58, 232.
serratus, 232.
Coccyzus americanus,
454.
-—— maynardi, 294.
i 5
-—— minor maynardi,
294.
Cochoa purpurea, 599.
Cocornis ugassizi, 427.
Ccereba bahamensis, 286.
cyanea, 481, 499.
Colaptes rupicola, 449.
Colinus bahamensis, 299.
graysoni, 110,
nigripectus,
OME
—— minor, 111.
pectoralis, 110, 111.
texanus, 110,
virginianus,
299:
—— — maculatus,110.
texanus, 110.
Coliopasser proene, 224.
Colius capensis, 251.
Colovterus galeatus, 499.
Columba albertisi exsul,
420.
arquatrix, 234,
casiotis, 567.
deeaocta, 90.
eyersmanni, 149.
—— grisea, 427.
—— intermedia,
567.
leucocephala, 298.
livia, 31, 567.
maculosa, 459.
cenas, 214.
palumbus, 214, 567.
casiotis, 567.
—— pheonota, 233.
—— phasma, 427.
picazuro, 409.
—— plumbea, 481, 485,
496, 499.
— speciosa, 481, 499.
110,
149,
’ Columba vinacea, 449.
SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Columbigallina — baha-
mensis, 299.
passerina, 299.
Columbula — picut,
459,
Comatibis, 179.
——- eremita, 121, 197, |
214.
olivacea, 186.
Compsotis leucoptera,
235.
Conopophaga melanops,
240.
Contopus
292.
Conuropsis, 151.
Conurus acuticaudatus,
467. |
—— eruginosus, 131.
cactorum, 131.
leucophthalmus,
467.
—— perlatus, 498.
Copurus colonus, 242.
Coracias garrulus,
212, 559, 578.
indicus, D1, 559.
Corvus afer, 359.
capellanus, 518.
—— compilator, 427.
corax, 518.
clarionensis,
452,
bahamensis,
52,
131.
cornix, 518.
—— —— sharpei, 518.
-—— curvirostris, 3d9.
— dauricus, 21.
—- frugilegus, 635.
leuconotus, 359.
macrorhynchus, 21,
58.
pastinator, 21.
scapulatus, 223,
5}5)s).
splendens, 58, 169.
tenuirostris, 427.
—— tingitanus, 212.
torquatus, 21.
Corydus, 90.
Coryphospingus
tus, 471.
Corytheola cristata, 333,
391. ;
Corythaix buffoni, 401.
crista-
Corythocichla —_ brevi-
caudata, 589.
Corythornis thomensis,
450.
Cosmonetta histrionica,
114,
645
Cossypha caffra, 229.
poensis, 379.
(Irania) gutturalis,
548.
Cotile cincta, 230.
mauritanica,
209.
minor, 209.
obsoleta, 554.
paludicola, 209,
230.
199,
riparia, 483, 485,
553,
rupestris, 5535.
(Ptyonoprogne) ob-
soleta, 554.
( ) rupestris,
553.
Coturniculus
481, 493.
savannarum § cari-
beeus, 121.
floridanus, 125.
Coturnix capensis, 235,
568.
communis, 152, 153,
219, 563.
coromandelica, 153.
coturnix, 113, 568.
japonica, 32, 219.
Craspedoprion, 255.
Crateropus (Chatorhea)
huttoni, 535,
Crax azare, 494.
circinatus, 494.
discors, 494.
fasciolata, 491, 49 4,
495, 499.
incommoda, 494.
mikani, 494.
pinima, 491,
493, 494, 495.
sclateri, 491, 494.
Criniger burmanicus,
592.
calurus, 364.
—— lucasi, 419.
placidus, 564.
poliocephalus, 378.
—— tephrolwinus, 363,
— tricolor, 364.
Crithagra esther. 416.
olivacea, 348.
Crocopus chilorogaster,
148.
pheenicopterus, 14%).
Crotophaga ani, 204, 46,
481, 198.
—— major, 482, 485,
498,
Cryptillas lopesi, 375.
manimbe,
492,
646
Cryptolopha __ everetti
waterstradti, 419.
herberti, 371.
— leta, 371.
tephrocephala, 596.
Cry ptospiza elize, 351.
ocularis, 351.
reichenowi, 351.
Crypturus pileatus, 480,
490, 499.
strigulosus, 479,
480, 485, 486, 490,
499.
tataupa, 491.
variegatus, 480, 486,
490, 499.
Cuculus canorus, 31, 57,
325, 556.
gularis, 325.
— leptodetus, 325.
-—— micropterus, 57.
neevius, 239.
rubiculus, 401.
saturatus, 57.
solitarius, 401.
Cursorius coromande-
licus, 159.
gallicus, 198, 200,
214, 329.
rufus, 235.
Cutia nepalensis, 591.
Cyanecula discessa, 125,
suecica, 25, 125.
wolfi, 549.
Cyanocitta stelleri borea-
lis, 415.
Cyanocorax
471.
Cyanoderma fulviventre,
427.
Cyanolyseus patagonicus,
3l.
a
chrysops,
Cyanomitra cyanolema,
-e@
obseura, 342, 343.
—— poensis, 343, 344.
ursule, 342.
Cyanopolius cyanus, 22.
Cyanops asiatica, 603.
ramsayi, 603.
Cygnus musicus, 35, 222.
olor, 34.
Cyornis hodgsoni, 597.
hyperythrus, 597.
leucomelanura, 597.
—— melanoleucus, 597.
-—— oatesi, 597.
rubeculoides, 598.
sapphira, 597.
Cypselus affinis, 55.
africanus, 231.
INDEX OF
Cypselus ambrosiacus,
400.
apus, 30, 231, 558.
pekinensis,
558.
barbatus, 231.
caffer, 231.
—— koenigi, 200, 212.
melba, 558.
— murinus, 212.
pacificus, 603.
poensis, 388.
subfureatus, 217.
unicolor, 388.
Cyrtonyx merriami, 111,
112
—— ‘montezumm, 11],
Sse earnanuliile
sallei, Iii, 12;
113.
texanus, 112.
Dafila acuta, 175.
— bahamensis, 311.
Daulias golzi, 548.
-—— hatizi, 548.
luscinia, 206.
Demiegretta eulophotes,
220.
sacra, 220, 221.
Dendrobates olivinus,468.
ruficeps, 499.
Dendrocitta rufa, 150.
Dendrocopus atratus,
602.
cabanisi, 30, 602.
cancellatus, 468.
danfordi, 555.
major, 554, 555.
mauritanus, 212,
— inedius, 554.
sancti-
johannis, 507, 554.
minor, 507, 516,
555.
— mixtus, 468.
—- pyrrhothorax, 602.
sancti-jJobannis,
531), 559.
syriacus, 534, 555.
Dendrocycna arborea,
310.
fulva, 174.
—— javanica, 174.
viduata, 444.
Dendreca achrustera,
281.
bahamensis, 281].
—— cerulescens, 279.
coronata, 279.
Dendreeca discolor, 279.
— dominica, 280.
—— gundlachi. 275, 278.
kirtlandi, 280.
palmarum, 281.
—— petechia flaviceps,
278.
—- —— flavivertex,
278.
278.
pinus, 281.
—— tigrina, 279.
vigorsi, 281.
Dendromus niger, 126.
nivosus, 35.
permistus kaffensis,
126.
poensis, 395.
Dendropicus cardinalis,
232. ,
—— nandensis, 126.
Dendrornis eytoni, 499.
Dendrotreron hodgsoni,
605.
Deroptyus
486, 498.
Diaphorophyia castanea,
386.
chlorophrys, 385.
leucopygialis, 386.
Diatryma, 425.
Diczum kuehni, 419.
sollicitans, 415.
Dicrurus afer, 230, 359.
coracinus, 359.
dohertyi, 122.
meeki, 428.
suluensis, ]22.
Dilophus carunculatus,
223.
Dinornis ingens,
194.
—— maximus, 196.
novie-zealandix,
189, 195.
robustus, 191, 195.
— (Emeus) crassus,
194.
Diomedea albatrus, 82,
820, 323.
bulleri, 265, 266.
— — chionoptera, &2, 83.
chlororhyneba, 265.
culminata, 2605,
266.
exulans, 82, 320.
immutabilis, 82.
-—— irrorata, 82.
melanophrys, 81,
32,266.
—— gundlachi,
accipitrinus,
189,
Diomedea nigripes, 81,
82, 219, 320, 323, 324.
regia, 82.
salvini, 266.
Diplooticus, 122.
Diplopterus nevius, 239,
479.
Dissemurus paradiseus,
119.
johni, 254.
Dissura episcopus, 145,
146, 147, 148, 169.
mortoni, 146, 147.
Dolichonyx oryzivorus,
131.
Doricha evelynx, 292.
Drymocataphus cinnamo-
meus, 539.
tickelli, 589.
Drymochares cruralis,
dU0.
Drymeca gracilis, 536,
icterica, 370.
— inquieta, 326.
— olivacea, 372.
rufogularis, 371.
Dryobates maynardi, 294.
villosus maynard,
294.
Dryonastes chinensis,587.
—— sannio, 087.
Dryoscopus cubla, 227.
peensis, 360.
Dysithamuus mentalis,
499,
Edoliosoma erythropy-
giuin saturatius, 262.
Eeretta ruficollis, 305.
E.ocerthia fraseri, 344.
obseura, 343.
Elainea flavogastra, 242.
pagana, 241.
Elanus ceruleus, 79, 233.
Emberiza aureola, 28,
6UV.
castaneiceps, 28.
chrysophrys, 216.
cia, 210, 521.
—— stracheyi, 521.
cirlus, 210, 422.
citrinella, 525.
elegans, 28.
fucata, 29.
hortulana, 422, 520.
—— intermedia, 520.
leucocephala, 28.
melanocephala, 422,
520.
—— miliaria, 520.
-—— palustris, 520,
Baaee
SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Emberiza pusilla, 28, 139.
rustica, 28.
—— rutila, 28, 600.
scheeniclus, 28, 516,
520.
spodocephala, 28,
stracheyi, 521.
tristrami, 216.
—— yessoensis, 216.
Embernagra_ oltvascens,
456.
Eimeus crassus, 194, 195.
Empidagra suiriri, 469.
Empidonax babamensis,
292.
bimaculatus, 242.
brunneus, 242.
Empidonomus aurantio-
atrocristatus, 469,
Enneoctonus, 258.
Kos, 258.
Eremiornis carteri, 127.
Eremomela _badiceps,
400.
flaviventris, 227.
Ereunetes pusillus, 302.
Erithacus cyanecula, 549.
cyaneus, 25.
gutturalis, 325, 506,
516, 548.
philomela, 325.
rubecula, 206.
Erolia, 640.
variegata, 640.
Erythropus amurensis,
218, 605.
Erythropygia coryphus,
230.
Erythrospiza obsoleta,
524.
Esacusrecurvirostris, 158.
Estrilda astrild, 224.
elizie, 354.
-—— minor, 3953.
— nunnula, 354.
— occidentalis, 353.
—— rubriventris, 353.
Budromias morinellus,
loo,o2)-
Eudynamis honorata, 58.
Euethia bicolor, 289.
Eulabes intermedia, 597.
Eunetta faleata, 35, 175.
Euphonia pectoralis, 241.
— yviolacea, 480, 481,
498.
Euplectes rufovelatus,
bot.
Euplocamus andersoni,
95.
crawfurdi, LOL.
647
Euplocamus euvieri, 103,
horsfieldi, 102.
lineatus, 100.
Eupodotis arabs, 139,
197, 198, 205.
Euprinodesolivaceus,372,
rufigularis, 372.
sclateri, 374.
Eurillas latirostris, 361.
virens, 361.
Euryapteryx, 192.
sp., 195.
—- ponderosus, 190,
633.
Eurypyga helias, 488,
500.
Eurystomus gularis, 389.
Euspiza melanocephala,
520.
Euxenura maguari, 464.
Excalfactoria chinensis,
152.
trinkatensis, 426,
Falco atriceps, 218,
barbarus, 79, 201,
213.
—— cassini, 453.
——- feldeggi, 200, 213.
—— fusco - cxrulescens,
447.
—— ichthyaetus, 427.
—— jugger, 79, 165.
— melanogenys, 218.
peregrinator, 79,
218.
peregrinus, 31, 78,
201.
rufigularis, 481,485,
485, 488. 489, 496, 497.
severus, 80.
sparverius, 296.
subbuteo, 80, 213,
d61.
Finschia, 319.
Fiscus, 258.
Formicarius, 487,
Kormicivora grisea, 499.
Francolinus bicalearatus,
121.
levaillanti, 234.
—— nigrosquamatus,
126.
—— pondicerianus, 154.
— vulgaris, 153, 569,
580.
Fraseria ocreata, 400.
Fregata aquila, 312.
Fringilla montifringilla,
27, 324, 457.
—— spodiogena, 210.
648
Fringi!laria arabica, 620.
capensis, 220.
—— impetuani, 225.
saharee, 210.
tahapisi, 225,
Fulica americana, 309.
atra, 33, 156, 581.
cristata, 235.
—— gigantea, 457.
—-- leucoptera, 459,
Fuligula affinis, 311.
Galbula eyaneicollis, 498.
Galeoscoptes carolinen-
SISa otic
Galerida, 90.
——— cristata, 30, 525,
magna, 525.
-—— —— riggenbachi,
122.
theckle, 200, 211.
isabellina, 211.
Gallinago ceelestis, 34,
165, 249.
delicata, 302.
gallinago, 564,
—— gallinula, 165, 249.
—— major, 249, 564.
—— megala, 54, 249.
—— nemoricola, 164,165.
scolopacina, 564.
solitaria, 165, 249,
stenura, 34, 165,
249.
— wilsoni, 302.
Gallinula chloropus, 38,
156. 415, 606.
-— galeata, 309, 444,
459.
pyrvborhoa, 415.
Gallophasis horsfieldi,
102.
Gallus pseudhermaphro-
ditus, 119.
Gampsonyx swainsoni,
465.
Garrulax diardi, 587.
pectoralis, 587.
Garrulus atricapillus,
507, 518.
krynicki, 518.
cervicalis, 211.
—— glandarius, 519.
glaszneri, 573,
—— leucotis, 585.
-—— minor, 203, 211.
Gecinulus viridis, 601.
Gecinus canus, 30.
chlorolophus, 601.
—- citrino - cristatus,
216.
INDEX OF
Gecinus vaillanti, 203,
Die
viridis, 507, 555,
Genneus albicristatus,
94.
andersoni, 94, 95,
96, 97, 101, 105.
beli, 102.
cuvieri, 95, 103, 104,
105.
—— davisoni, 95, 96,
105, 106.
horsfieldi, 94, 93,
102.
jonesi, 94, 95, 97,
99
leucomelanus, 94.
lineatus, 94,95,100,
101, 103.
melanonotus, 94.
—— nisbetti, 95, 99.
—— nycthemerns, 94, 97,
98, 99:
oatesi, 95, 103, 104.
rufipes, 94, 97, 101.
sharpii, 94, 95, 101,
102.
—— turneri, 104,
wickhami, 95, 102.
williainsi, 95, 104.
Geochelidon nilotica,
313.
Geocichla, 263.
Gevcolaptes olivaceus,
232.
Geositta
449.
rufipennis, 449,
Geospiza, 115.
Geothlypis coryi, 285.
maynardi, 275, 283,
284, 286.
restricta, 282.
rostrata, 2838, 284,
285, 286.
tanneri, 285.
tanneri, 274, 285,
286.
trichas, 282, 283.
velata, 470.
Geotrygon montana, 479,
490.
Geranospizias czrules-
cens, 465.
Geronticus, 179.
calvus, 639.
eremita, 639.
— infuscatus, 488.
(Comatibis) oliva-
ceus, 186.
cunicularia,
Geronticus (Hageda-
shia) olivaceus, 187,
Glareola lactea, 159.
melanoptera, 236,
325.
orientalis, 159.
pratincola, 159, 198,
14
Glaucidium brodiei, 694.
—- cuculoides, 60-4.
passerinum, 621.
phalenoides, 445,
radiatum, 63, 64.
setipes, 621.
Glaux javanica, 61.
Glyphorhynchus cunea-
tus, 486, 499.
Graculus dilophus flori-
danus, 312.
Graucalus babrensis, 427.
—— preussi, 360.
simalarensis, 427.
temmincki tonde-
anus, 622.
Grus sp., 33.
antigone, 157.
communis, 156,214,
—— leucogeranus, 156.
Guira piririgua, 454.
Guiraca argentina, 471.
Gymnorhina tibicen, 609.
Gymnoris flavicollis, 522.
Gypaétus barbatus, 561.
Gyparchus papa, 457.
Gypohierax angolensis,
402.
Gyps bengalensis, 66.
fulvescens, 66.
fulvus, 562.
indicus, 66.
pallescens, 66.
—— tenuirostris, 66.
Habropyga minor, 353.
Hematopus ostralegus,
566.
palliatus, 117, 301.
pratti, 301.
Hagedashia, 179.
hagedash, 180, 181,
182, 184, 186.
olivacea, 186,
Haleyon albiventris, 231.
badius, 391.
— cinereifrons, 401.
cyanoleuca, 401.
dryas, 401.
leucogaster, 390.
lopesi, 390.
|} —— lopezi, 390.
Halcyon smyrnensis, 54,
5d9, 608.
Haliaétus
72.
-— vocifer, 283.
Haliastur indus, 74.
Haplopelia — hypoleuca,
6238.
—— poensis, 596.
simplex, 396.
Harpa, 620.
Harpagus diodon, 497.
Harpiprion, 179.
olivaceus, 186.
Heliodilus, 36.
leucoryphus,
Heliomaster furcifer,
445.
Heliornis fulica, 495,
500.
Helotarsus, 123.
Hemipus capitalis, 596.
Hemitriccus paimmictus,
425,
Hemixus
598.
holti, 598, 594.
macclellandi, 593.
tickelli, 593.
binghami, 594.
Henicognathus, 131,
Herodias sp., 54.
alba, 34, 170, 220,
237.
egretta, 462.
eulophotes, 220, 221.
garzetta, 169, 171,
220, 221.
intermedia, 171.
peal, 505.
timoriensis, 220.
Herpornis xantholeuca,
ool.
Hesperocichla, 142.
Hesperornis gracilis, 428.
regalis, 425.
Heterhyphantes melano-
gaster, 556.
melanolzema, 356.
Heterocnus bolivianus,
462.
cabanisi, 468, 464.
Heteropygia maculata,
446, 458.
Heterospizias meridiona-
lis, 465.
hildebrandi,
Heterotetrax vigorsi, 255.
Heterotrogon — francisci,
389.
vittatum, 389.
Hieraétus fasciatus, 71.
penuatus, 71, GOL.
. SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Hierococeyx varius, 57,
58.
Hierofaleo gyrfaleo, 244.
labradorus, 242,
244.
Himantopus
163.
— melanurus, 444, 460.
mexicanus, 301,
nigricollis, 301.
Hirundo albigularis, 230.
— cucullata, 230.
cyaneoviridis, 287.
erythrogastra, 131,
287.
gutturalis, 29.
— horreorum, 287.
rufula, 198, 209,
50d.
rustica, 29, 230, 552,
635.
Hoplopterus
500.
ventralis, 161.
Houbara macqueeni, 158.
Hydrochelidon hybrida,
34, 166.
Hydrophasianus chirur-
gus, 160.
Hylia poeusis, 368.
prasina, 368.
Hylocharis — sapphirina,
480.
candidus,
spinosus,
Hylophilus — bulunensis,
250.
Hyphantornis
pterus, 357.
collaris, 357.
—— cucullatus, 357.
textor, 357.
—— velatus, 225.
brachy-
Hyphanturgus — bracby-
pterus, 597.
Hypocnemis melanopo-
gou, 499,
Hypolais languida, 542.
obsoleta, 541, 542.
pallida, 541, 542,
O70.
polyglotta, 207.
rama, 541, 542.
Hypopicus bhyperythrus, |
6OL.
Hypotenidia kuehni,
419.
Hypothymis abbotti, 150,
427.
— consobrina, 180,
427.
Hypsipetes concolor,
592.
649
Tanthia rufilata, 598.
Ibidorhyncbus struthersi,
598.
Ibycter americanus, 488,
489, 495, 496, 497.
megalopterus, 447.
Ibis comata, 179.
melanocephala, 168.
olivacea, 178, 179,
180, 181, 182, 183, 184,
185. ;
(Geronticus) oliva-
ceus, 186.
(Hagedashia) oliva-
cea, 187,
Ichthyophaga, 427.
Icterus cayanensis valen-
cio-buenoi, 421.
pyrrbopterus, 471.
argoptilus,
425.
compsus, 425,
Indicator, 618.
exilis, 398.
poensis, 393.
willeocksi, 893, 618.
Inocotis papillosus, 168.
Tole holti binghami, 204.
virescens, 594.
Tonornis martinica, 309.
Ispida bicincta, 401.
Ispidina leucogastra,
390.
Ixoreus, 142.
Ixulus clarki, 591.
flavicollis, 591.
Tyngipicus canicapillus,
602.
—. hardwickii, 49.
scintilliceps, 30.
Tynx torquilla. 50.
Jacamerops grandis, 498.
Ketupa zeylonensis, 62.
Lagopus leucurus, 109.
altipetens, 109.
peninsularis,
109, 267, 415.
rupestris, 109,
scoticus, 272.
Lampribis olivacea, 180,
181, 182, 188, 184, 186,
187.
rara, 181, 182, 183,
184, 185, 187.
Lamprocolius
399.
chubbi, 357.
—— pbenicopterus, 225.
—
auratus,
650
Lamprocolius purpureus, |
358,
Lamprotornis chrysono-
tus, 399.
Laniarius
399.
gutturalis, 227.
—— nigerrimus, 360.
—— poensis, 339, 360.
sulphureipectus,
Bye)
Lanius auriculatus, 534.
collaris, 227.
collurio, 227, 326,
534.
colluroides, 596.
cristatus, 596.
dealbatus, 533.
— dodsoni, 200, 209.
esculentus, 317.
excubitor, 258.
—— fallax, 533.
homeyeri, 258.
isabellinus, 538.
lahtora, 533.
leucopterus, 258.
——— lucionensis, 24.
ludovicianus excu-
bitoroides, 628.
—— —— gambeli, 628.
—— major, 258.
— minor, 534.
— nubicus, 534.
—— pallidirostris, 533.
—— pheenicuroides, 535.
—— pomeranus, 209,
—— rufus, 534,
subcoronatus, 227.
superciliosus, 2+.
tephronotus, 596.
-— tigrinus, 24, 215.
Linivireo crassirostris,
287.
Larus argentatus, 566.
smithsonianus,
chrysogaster,
MD:
-— atricilla, 313.
brunneicephalus,
165.
cachinnans,
566.
cirrhocepnalus, 444.
hemprichi, 566.
ichthyaétus, 165.
leucopheeus, 566.
—— minutus, 412.
166,
ridibundus, 566.
vege, 219.
INDEX OF
Lathria sp. 486, 489,
499.
— cinerea, 483, 488,
499.
unirufa castaneo-
tincta, 255.
Leptasthenura xgitha-
loides, 450.
Lepterodius gularis, 398.
Leptoptilus dubius, 169.
javanicus, 169.
Lesbia chlorura, 132.
sparganura, 445,
454.
Ligurinus olivaceus, 348.
Limicola platyrhyncha,
249.
Limonidromus indicus,
29.
Limosa belgica, 163.
Linaria brevirostris, 621.
cannabina, 521.
exilipes, 621.
Linota cannabina, 210.
fringillirostris,
505, 521.
linaria, 27.
Linurgus olivaceus, 347,
348.
Liopicus mahrattensis,
49.
Lioptila annectens, 590.
Lioptilus abyssinicus,
382.
claudi, 339, 382.
Lipoa ocellata, 118.
Loboparadisea sericea,
423.
Loborhamphus nobilis,
nO)
Locustella certhiola, 22.
Lophoceros birostris, 55.
Lophophoruseuvieri, 103.
Lophotibis, 185, 184.
cristata, 183.
olivacea, 187.
Loriculus chrysonotus,
626.
sclateri, 626.
vernalis, 604.
Lorius, 258.
Loxia sp., 27.
guillemardi, 573.
Japonica, 27.
Loxigilla violacea, 289.
Lullula arborea, 516.
Lusciniola indica,
405, 406, 407.
melanopogon, 621.
—— -—— mimica, 542.
—— mimica, 542, 621.
494,
Macheropterus regulus,
240.
Machetes pugnax, 119,
564.
Machetornis rixosa, 469.
Machlolophus spilonotus,
586.
Macronyx aurantiigula,
Ups),
-— capensis, 226.
-—— fuelleborni, 129.
Macropteryx longipennis,
427
ofl.
permagna, 427.
prelonga, 427.
Macropygia simalarensis,
130, 427.
tusalia, 606.
Macrorhamphus griseus,
302.
Macrosphenus flavicans,
362.
poensis, 362.
Malaconotus blanchoti,
255.
Malacopteron notatum,
30.
Malacopterum notatum,
427.
Malacoptila rufa, 498.
Malacothraupis castanei-
ceps, 136.
—- gustavi, 136.
Malimbus malimbus,
354.
rubricollis, 354.
Malurus cyanotus, 128.
—— edouardi, 128.
—— leucopterus, 127,
Manucodia atra altera,
428.
Mareca americana, 275,
dll.
—-— penelope, 35, 117,
179.
Marmaronetta angusti-
rostris, 176.
Masius chrysopterus,
617
bellus, 617.
coronulatus,
617.
coronulatus, 617.
Mecocerculus alutus,
425.
stictopterus euplas-
tus, 425.
Megalma virens, 603.
Megalurus _ striatus,
612.
Megapodius
618.
Megascops asio, 628.
xantusi, 414.
Melanocorypha bimacu-
lata, 505, 526.
calandra, 211, 526.
mongolica, 29.
sibirica, 621.
Melanopelargus espisco-
pus, 146.
Melanopteryx albinucha,
395,
—— maxwelli, 355.
—— nigerrima, 355.
Melierax canorus, 233.
Melignomon, 613.
Melithreptus leucogenys,
612.
Melittopkagus swinhoii,
603.
Melizophilus deserticola,
206
Melospiza coronatorum,
412.
Merganser australis,
636.
castor, 35.
Mergus albellus, 35, 117.
Meropogon forsteni cen-
tralis, 622.
Merops zgyptius, 557.
apiaster, 212, 231,
469, 557, 579.
marion, 389, 390.
northeotti, 590.
persicus, 557.
—— philippinus, 53.
viridis, 52, 53, d04,
558.
Merula atrigularis, 263.
- celeenops, 263.
chrysolaus, 263
erythropleura, 265.
eunomus, 263.
fe, 599.
hortulorum, 263.
merula, 5058.
naumanni, 263.
obscura, 263, 599.
pallida, 263.
Merula protomomelena,
263, 599.
ruficollis, 263.
subalaris, 263.
Mesia argentauris, 592.
Mesopicus rhodogaster,
126.
spodocephalus, 126.
Metallura theresix, } 52.
Metopidius indicus, 160, |
cumingi,
Piaveall
SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Metopothrix, 108.
aurantiacus, 108,
Metriopelia ayimara, 446.
melanoptera, 446.
Micrastur semitorquatus,
465.
Micropternus phzeoceps,
602.
Microsarcops cinereus,
33, 161.
Microsittace, 131.
Microstictus intermedius,
622.
Milvago chimachima,
482, 497.
Milvulus tyrannus, 470.
Milvus egyptius, 397.
govinda, 63, 69, 74,
75.
korsehun, 561.
——— melanotis, 7).
migrans, 561.
Mimocichla ardesiaca,
2638.
—— bryanti, 276.
plumbea, 263,
276.
rubripes, 263.
Mimus bahamensis, 276.
carolinensis, 277.
— dorsalis, 456.
gundlachi, 276.
polyglottus, 275,
276.
triurus, 470.
Mionectes oleagineus,
486, 499.
Mirafra apiata, 225,
neevia, 225.
rufipilea, 225.
Miro dannefaerdi, 620.
Mitrephanes berlepschi,
255.
Mitua mitu, 489, 493,
495, 499.
Mixornis everetti, 122.
flavicollis, 122.
prillwitzi, 122.
rubricapillus, 590.
Mniotilta varia, 278.
Mohua, 319.
Molothrus badius, 457,
471.
bonariensis, 457.
Molybdophanes czrules-
cens, 461.
Momotus _ brasiliensis,
496, 497, 498.
Monasa, 480.
morpheus, 484, 485,
436, 488, 495, 498.
651
Monasa nigra, 479, 480,
481, 484, 485, 495, 496,
497, 498.
Monticola cyanus, 203,
205, 550, 574.
explorator, 228.
saxatilis, 203, 205,
325, 550.
Montifringilla alpicola,
505, 524.
nivalis, 524.
Motacilla alba, 528.
boarula, 527.
—— borealis, 29, 216.
capensis, 226.
citreola, 29.
feldeggi, 527.
—— melanope, 201, 208,
527.
ocularis, 29.
——- paradoxa, 527.
persica, 528.
personata, 208.
—— pyrenaica, 317.
subpersonata,
208.
sulphurea, 527.
vidua, 226.
Muscicapa atricapilla,
552,
colonus, 242,
griseo-sticta, 24.
grisola, 209, 383,
552, 5738.
pagana, 241.
—— parva, 265.
reichenowi, 126.
sagrie, 291.
Muscicapula hyperythra
pallidipectus, 420.
Muscipeta bimaculatus,
242.
fraseri, 383.
incanescens, 241.
—— tricolor, 387.
(Tchitrea) tricolor,
387.
Muscisaxicola rufivertex,
450.
199,
Mycerobas melanoxan-
thus, 600.
Myeteria americana,
464.
Myiarchus _ leucayensis,
PON
sagree, 291.
stolidus leucayensis,
291.
tyrannulus, 469.
Myiobius — erythrurus,
490.
652
Myiodynastes solitarius,
470.
Myiophoneus — eugenii,
590.
temmincki, 607.
Myiopsittacus, 131.
monachus, 467.
Myiotheretes rufiventris,
142.
Myrmeciza, 487.
Myrmecocichla formici-
vora, 229.
Myrmotherula axillaris,
499,
—— brevicauda, 499.
hauxwelli, 499.
Myzomela __ batjanensis,
420.
Napothera
627.
Nasiterna
262.
Nauclerus furcatus, 495,
498.
Nectarinia
341.
—-— chloropygia, 341.
— collaris, 346.
eyanocephala, 343.
cyanolemus, 343.
famosa, 226.
fraseri, 344.
—— hypodilus, 346.
—— muelleri, 620.
obscura, 342.
stangeri, 541.
subcollaris, 346.
—— tephrolemus, 346.
Neocossyphus _ poensis,
379.
Neomorphus _ geoffroyi,
486, 487, 498.
_Neophema, 626.
Neophron — ginginianus,
63.
umbratilis,
tristrami,
angolensis,
perenopterus, 203,
213, 235, 563.
Neoscolopax rochusseni,
419.
Nesierax, 619.
Nesocharis shelleyi, 352.
Nestor, 258.
Netta rufina, 176.
Nettapus, 128.
Nettion brasiliense, 465.
erecca, 117.
flavirostre, 447.
torquatum, 460.
Nettium creeea, 35, 179d.
—— formosum, 3d.
INDEX OF
Nettopus coromandeli-
anus, 174.
Nigrita canicapilla, 349.
fusconota, 350.
— lucieni, 350.
luteifrons, 350.
pinaronota, 350.
Nilaus brubru, 227.
Niltava grandis, 598.
sundara, 598.
Ninox, 48.
scutulata, 64,
Nisaétus fasciatus, 213.
Nomonyx dominicus,
465.
Nothoprocta fulvescens,
116.
Nothura boliviana, 452.
Notodela leucura, 598.
Numenius arquata, 383,
168, 56d.
—— pheopus, 163, 565,
tenuirostris, 325.
Numida coronata, 235.
Nyctiardea __ violacea,
307.
Nyetibius jamaicensis,
48), 496, 497, 498.
Nycticorax griseus, 34,
172, 237, 328.
—— neevius, 275, 308.
—— uycticorax neevius,
308.
tayazuguira, 447,
462.
violaceus, 307.
Nyctidromus albicollis,
498,
Nyroca baeri, 35.
ferina, 176.
ferruginea, 177.
fuligula, 177.
marila, 177.
Ochtheca rufimarginata
acrophila, 425.
Odontophorus cinctus,
418.
guianensis, 481, 485,
486, 499.
leucolemus, 418.
melanotis, 418.
(Edemia carbo, 222.
nigra, 214.
CEdicnemus capensis,
235.
scolopax, 158, 159,
328.
(Ena capensis, 254.
Cinanthe albicollis, 91,
408.
}
(Enopopelia tranque-
barica, 151.
Ckstrelata sp., 630.
Onychognathushartlaubi,
399.
Opisthocomus cristatus,
477, 497, 500.
Oreicola ferrea, 598.
Oreocinela dauma, 599.
— horsfieldi affinis,
130.
Oriolus broderipi oscil-
lans, 419.
chinensis, 24,
— galbula, 209, 519.
—— indicus, 596.
—— melanocephalus,
596.
—— mundus, 427.
—— tenuirostris, 596.
trailli, 597.
Ortalis aracuan, 480, 481,
500.
canicollis, 458.
wagleri, 418.
Ortholophus albocrista-
tus, 614.
cassini, 614.
Orthonyx, 318.
Ortyx bahamensis, 299.
virginianus, 299.
Osmotreron chloroptera
andamaniea, 426.
phayrii, 605.
Ostinops decumanus,
488, 498, 631, 632.
viridis, 498.
Otis afroides, 235,
-— scolopacea, 235,
tetrax, 138.
verreauxi, 235.
Otocorys, 640.
— alpestris, 128.
actia, 128.
alpestris, 128.
ammophila,
128.
aphrasta, 128.
articola, 128.
—— —— diaphora, 128.
— enthymia,
128.
—— flava, 128.
leucansiptila,
128.
atlas, 128, 211.
berlepschi, 128.
—— bilopha, 128.
longirostris, 128.
penicillata, 128, 5035,
527.
Otogyps calvus, 65, 66,
67.
Otus, 45.
brachyotus, 560.
Pachycephala johni, 419.
moroka, 428.
Pachyorniselephantopus,
1OUTMO5:
Pachyrhamphus cinereus,
499.
Pagophila eburnea, 429.
Palxornis caniceps, 626.
cyanocephalus, 61.
—— indoburmanicus, 60.
major, 130, 427.
nicobarica, 626.
nipalensis, 60.
—— torquatus, 60, 61,
603.
Pandion
297.
haliaétus, 64, 297.
carolinensis,
I |
carolinensis,
297.
Paradoxornis guttati-
collis, 586.
Parisoma suberuleum,
ie
Paroaria cucullata, 471.
Parra jacana, 444, 460,
496, SOU.
Parula americana, 278.
- pitiayumi, 470.
Parus afer, 226.
aphrodite, 530, 573. |
atlas, 2U2, 2O7.
borealis, 117.
ceruleus, 530.
persicus, 507,
it |
530.
— lugubris, 529.
—— dubius, 507,
529,
major, 200, 207, 530.
michalowskii, 207.
minor, 22, 585.
palustris, 22,
621.
persicus, 529.
ultramarinus,
207.
(Cyanistes) persicus,
530.
Passer anmmodendri, 406,
407.
arcuatus, 224,
—— diffusus, 224.
domesticus, 27, 200,
210, 406.
—— indicus, 523.
WZ
200,
SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Passer flavicollis, 522.
— palestine, 523,
—— transcaspius,
523.
hispaniolensis
malte, 121.
indicus, 523.
montanus, 27.
salicarius, 523.
salicicola, 210.
yatii, 405, 496, 407.
Passerculus sandvicensis,
290.
—— savanna, 290.
savanna, 290.
Patagona gigas, 448.
Pavo cristatus, 152.
Pavoncella pugnax, 164.
Pelargopsis capensis
javana, 627.
gurial, 54.
simalarensis, 427.
sodalis, 427.
Pelecanus aquilus, 312.
crispus, 167, 630.
— fuscus, 312.
onocrotalus, 167.
philippensis, 167.
roseus, 167.
Pellorneum subochrace-
um, 589.
Penelope, 116.
obscura, 458.
superciliaris, 479,
489, 500.
Penelopides talisi, 614.
Penthetria — psammo-
cromia, 129.
Perdicula argunda, 153.
asiatica, 153.
Pericrocotus fraterculus,
596.
Perissotriccus, 425.
Pernis apivorus, 488,
cristatus, 78.
Petrochelidon fulva pal-
lida, 424.
~— spilodera, 230.
Petronia brachydactyla,
522.
flavicollis, 522.
stulta, 522.
Petrophila cyanus, 599.
—— erythrogaster, 599.
Phacellodomus - striati-
ceps, 450.
Phwoparus, 621.
Phaéthon americanus,
415.
—— flavirostris, 313.
—— lepturus, 415,
]
6538
Phalacrocorax carbo, 34,
168, 563.
—— dilophus floridanus,
312.
floridanus, 312.
fuscicollis, 168.
—— harrisi, 120, 131.
javanicus, 168.
—— pygmeeus, 328.
vigua, 444, 455.
Phalaropus _ fulicarius,
Jilly.
hyperboreus, 325.
Phasianus lineatus, 100.
torquatus, 32.
Phibalura flavirostris,
240.
Philacte canagica, 412.
Phlexis lopezi, 375.
rufescens, 376.
Phlogopsis, 487.
nigromaculata, 486,
495, 496, 499.
Phebetria fuliginosa,
82
Pl:eniconaias minor, 429.
Pheenicophaés_ calorhyn-
chus rufiloris, 419.
Phenicopterus sp., 457.
antiquorum, 563.
roseus, 172, 563.
—— ruber, 310.
Phoripara bicolor, 289.
Photodilus badius, 86-48.
Phrygilus atriceps, 451,
— fruticeti, 451.
—— plebeius, 452,
Phylidor pyrrhodes, 499.
Phyllodytes, 319.
Phyllopneuste lorenzi,
538.
Phylloscopus — bonellii,
202, 206.
—. borealis, 635.
collybita, 539.
— fuscatus, 23.
neglectus, 509, 537,
538.
proregulus, 23.
pulcher, 596.
rufus, 539.
superciliosus, 23.
tristis, 539.
-— trochilus, 227,
539.
viridis, 411.
Phyllostrophus placidus,
364.
poensis, 364.
Phytotoma angustiros-
tris, 455.
old,
654:
Piaya macrura, 481, 498.
Pica mauritanica, 199,
233, 211.
rustica, 22, 519.
bactriana, 519.
Picathartes gymnocepha-
lus, 129
oreas, 129.
Picolaptes angustirostris,
454.
Picumnus
602.
nebulosus caipira,
421,
sagittatus sharpei,
aie
Picus martius, 468.
sancti - johannis,
innominatus,
554.
syriacus, 554,
varius, 295.
Pinarolestes megarhyn-
chus despectus, 428.
madaraszi,428.
Pinaroloxias inornata,
428.
Pionias violaceus, 483,
485, 496, 497, 498.
Pionus bridgesi, 467.
Pipile, 458.
— cuyubi,
486, 487,
99)
Pipra atra, 242.
atrocapilla, 241.
—- auricapilla, 482,
499,
— brunnea, 242.
—— caudata, 240.
— cephaleucos, 241,
——- cyanea 241.
— fasciata, 241.
flavogaster, 241,
— forficata, 240.
—- fromialian) 241.
~ leucocapilla, 241.
leucocilla, 241, 481,
499,
—-— lineata, 240.
—— pectoralis, 241.
—— pusilla, 241,
— regulus, 240.
— virens, 24].
viridis, 241.
Pisorhina manadensis
kalidapex, 419.
—— umbra, 427.
Pitangus bahamensis,
292.
bolivianus, 469.
Pitohui dohertyi, 428,
meyeri, 428,
INDEX OF
Pitta abbotti, 426.
anerythra, 262.
angolensis, 92, 93.
eucullata, 601,
ee 217%.
—- oatesi, 601.
reichenowi, 91, 92,
Pittasoma rufopileatum,
255.
Pitylus — erythromelas,
486, 498.
Platalea ajaja, 461.
leucorodia, 169,
220)
Platycercus browni, 626.
elegans, 626.
flaveolus, 626.
Platyrhynchus melanops,
240
“
Platystira castanea, 386.
leucopygialis, 386.
Plectrophenax nivalis,
429,
Plectropterus gambensis,
237
Plegadis falcinellus, 136,
168.
—- guarauna, 444, 447,
461.
olivaceus, 187.
Ploceipasser mahali, 223.
Plcceus _ brachypterus,
307.
passerinus infor-
tunatus, 254.
— rufo-niger, 129.
— textor, 357.
Plotus anhinga, 488, 488,
495, 500.
melanogaster, 168.
Pnoepyga pusilla, 595.
Podager nacunda, 467,
498.
Podargus inexpectatus,
262.
Pocica
129.
—— senegalensis, 129.
Podicipes albipennis,
178.
americanus, 459.
eristatus, 385, 177,
238.
philippensis, 35.
Pecile lugubris persica,
529.
Peecilonetta erythro-
rhyncha, 238.
camerunensis,
Pogonornis cincta, 620.
Pogonotriceus alleni,
Polioaétus humilis, 73,
605.
ichthyaétus, 73.
Poliolais, 368.
helenore, 368.
Polioptila caerulea czsio-
gaster, 277.
Polyborus tharus, 453.
Polytelis barrabandi,
626.
Pomatorhinus imberbis,
589.
nuchalis, 588.
ochraceiceps, 589.
Poospiza hypochondriaca,
470.
Porphyrio alleni, 431.
martinica, 309.
poliocephalus, 156.
Porphyriola, 432.
martinica, 309.
Porphyriops melanops,
¢
vd.
Porphyrocephalus, 626.
Porphyrula, 432.
Porzana carolina, 309.
maruetta, 155.
parva, 155.
pusilla, 32, 155,
Pratincola axillaris, 381.
hemprichi, 547.
—— maura, 25.
—— rubetra, 206.
dalmatica,
422.
— rubicola, 547.
maura, 547,
—— torquata, 229.
Prinia hypoxantha, 228.
icterica, 370.
maculosa, 228,
—— olivacea, 372, 373.
substriata, 228.
Procellisterna cinerea,
417.
saxatilis, 417.
Procelsterna, 416.
Progne furcata, 456.
subis floridana, 125.
tapera, 480, 499,
Protodiscus, 613.
Psalidoprocne fuliginosa,
388.
poensis, 358.
Psalidoprymna gouldi,
132.
chlorura, 132.
—— gracilis, 132,
Psalidoprymna
ventris, 132.
Psaraglossa_ spiloptera,
592.
Psarisomus
601.
Psephotus chrysoptery-
gius, 626.
——- hematorrbous, 626.
multicolor, 626.
xanthorrhous, 626.
Pseudochloris lutea, 451.
Pseudogerygone brunnei-
pectus, 612.
chloronota, 612.
—— levigastra, 612.
sylvestris, 620.
tenebrosa, 636.
Pseudogyps africanus,
398.
bengalensis, 66, 67,
pallidi-
dalhousiz,
68.
Pseudoptynx salomonen-
sis, 262.
Pseudotantalus
cephalus, 170.
Psittacula, 131.
Psittacus erithacus, 397.
leucocephalus, 295.
Psittinus, 626.
abbotti, 130, 427.
Psophia, 141.
-—— obscura, 485, 489,
499.
viridis, 489.
Pteroeles alchata, 198,
200, 214, 579.
arenarius, 151, 198,
200, 214, 568, 579.
Pteroclurus exustus, 151.
namaqua, 234.
Pteroglossus — aracari,
498.
bitorquatus, £98.
Pteruthius wralatus, 592.
erythropterus, 591,
—— melanotis, 592.
tahanensis, 254.
Ptilinopus melanocepha-
lus aurescentior, 419.
Prilocorys, 90.
Ptilopus centralis, 622.
Ptiloscelis resplendens,
446,
Ptistes, 625.
Ptyonoprogne fuligula,
230.
Pucrasia xanthospila, 32.
Puffinus angloruin, 329.
auduboni, 275, 315.
— griseus, 411.
leuco-
SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Puffinus
219.
obscurus, 315.
Pyenonotus arsinoé, 552.
atricapillus, 215.
— leucotis, 505, 552.
—— nigricans, 227.
obseurus, 209.
prillwitzi, 254.
xanthopygus, 326.
Pyenorhamphus car-
neipes, 406, 407.
Pygosceles adeliz, 638.
Pyranga testacea, 471.
Pyriglena, 487.
Pyrocephalus rubineus,
455, 469.
Pyromelana oryx, 224.
Pyrrhocorax graculus,
517.
Pyrrhopicus pyrrhotis,
602.
Pyrrhospiza camerunen-
sis, 348.
olivacea, 348.
leucomelas,
Pyrrhula —leucogenys,
254.
waterstradti, 254.
Pyrrhulagra —_violacea,
289.
Pyrrhulauda — leucotis,
433.
melanocephala, 483.
Pyrrhulopsis, 626.
Pyrrhura leucotis, 131.
moline, 467.
perlata, 151.
Pyrrhurus serinus, 362.
tricolor, 36-4.
Querquedula
238.
circia, 176.
erecea, 563.
discors, 311.
versicolor, 444, 453.
Querula cruenta, 499.
capensis,
a
Rallus aquaticus, 154,
567.
earolinus, 309,
coryi, 308,
crepitans, 117.
indicus, 155,
mixtus, 317.
Reeurvirostra avyocetta,
163.
Regulus cristatus, 22
ral Way.
Rhamphastus ariel, 481,
486, 496, 498.
|
>
655
Rhamphastus — erythro-
rhynchus, 478, 485,
487, 496, 498.
toco, 468.
Rhamphocenus — mela-
nurus, 499,
Rhamphocelus jacapa,
479, 497, 499.
Rhea, 614.
americana, 458.
Rheinardtius — ocellatus
nigrescens, 254.
Rhinochetus jubatus,
429.
Rhinomyias — nicobarica,
426.
pectoralis, 627.
umbratilis rich-
mondi, 627.
Rhinoplax vigil, 120.
Rhinoptilus bicinctus,
236
chaleopterus, 236.
Rhodonessa cary ophyl-
lacea, 174.
Rhodospiza — obsoleta,
524.
Rhopoterpe, 487.
torquata, 499.
Rhynchocyclus sxquinoe-
tialis, 255.
megacephalus flavo-
tectus, 255,
ruficauda, 499.
scotius, 425,
Rhynchops albicollis,
167.
Riccordia — eneo-viridis,
293.
(Sporadinus) xneo-
viridis, 275.
Rissa tridactyia, 613.
Rostratula capensis,
165.
Ruticilla
O98.
aurorea, 25,
mesoleuca, 547,
621.
moussieri, 122, 206,
—— Digra, 582) 583:
584.
pheenicurus,
547, 548, 574.
rufiventris, 548.
titys, 206, 582, 583,
584.
265,
Saltator aurantiirostris,
457.
laticlavius,
454,
455, 457,
656
Sapayoa enigma, 420,
Sapheopipo noguchii,
413.
Sarcidiornis melano-
notus, 173.
Sarciophorus _albiceps,
402.
malabaricus, 161.
Sarcogrammus indicus,
168, 161.
Sarecorhamphus papa,
483, 497.
patruus, 425,
Sasia ochracea, 602.
Saurophagus lictor, 499.
Saurothera bahamensis,
293.
Saxicola albicollis, 91, |
408, 409, 545.
amphileuca, 91,
408, 409.
aurita, 91, 409.
, var. libyca, |
410.
———- catarins, 91, 200, |
204, 205, 408, 409.
chrysopyga, 404,
407, 505, 544.
deserti, 546.
familiaris, 229.
———— Fratelli, VG
halophila, 91.
isabellina, 546.
—— layardi, 229.
leucura, 206.
——— lugens, 91.
melanoleuca, 545,
monticola, 229.
morio, 545, 574.
— cenanthe, 546.
persica, 545.
—— picata, 546.
—— pileata, 229.
stapazina, 200, 206,
dloy
Scmorbynchus
587.
Sceloglaux, 48.
Schenicola, 127.
Sclerurus caudatus, 499.
mexicanus, 499.
Scolopax rubripes, Bilis
rusticola, 249.
(Gallinago) gal-
linago raddei, 249.
Scops, 48.
bakkamcena,
—
gularis,
63,
604.
brucii, 63.
eypria, 573.
elegans, 3. |
INDEX OF
Scops fex, 623.
giu, 63, 215, 560.
latouchii, 218.
lettia, 3.
Scopus umbretta, 237.
Scotocerea inquieta, 536,
Selenidera gouldi, 480,
486, 498.
Semioptera halmahere,
420.
wallacei, 420.
Serilophus — lunatus,
601.
Serinus albigularis, 224,
eanicollis, 224.
eanonicus, 326.
flaviventris, 224.
hortulanus, 210,
326.
Serpentarius secretarius,
233.
Setophag. ruticilla, 286.
Sibia picaoides, 590.
Siphia albicilla, 24.
hoevelli, 622.
strophiata, 597.
Siptornis orbignyi, +54,
457.
—— rufipennis, 45+,
striaticeps, 454.
Sirystes sibilator ati-
mastus, 425.
Sitagra brachyptera,
397.
Sitta exsia, 531.
carolinensis nelsoni,
125.
532.
— caucasica,
531.
aa europea, 531.
--— persica, 507,
531.
formosa, 094.
frontalis, 595.
—— himalayensis, 594.
magna, 594.
nagaensis, 594.
neumayerl, 532.
syriaca, 532.
tephronota,
532.
rupicola, 532.
—— syriaca, 532.
whiteheadi, 9.
Sittiparus castaneiceps,
590.
Siurus aurocapillus, 282.
noveboracensis,
282.
europea cesia, 531, |
|
Siva castaneicaudn, 591.
strigula malayana,
254.
Smithornis fraseri, 383.
sharpii, 384.
zenkeri, 385.
Somateria mollissima,
621.
Spathopterus, 625.
Spatula clypeata, 176.
platalea, 444, 447,
453.
Speirops brunnea, 399,
403, 623.
Speotyto bahamensis,
296.
466.
cunicularia, 448,
becki, 131.
eavicola, 295.
- floridana, 295.
Spermestes poensis, 352.
Spermophila, 479.
gutturalis, 481.
—— hypoleuca, 481,
498.
Sphyrapicus varius, 295.
Spiloptila clamans, 536.
-—— ocularia, 228.
Spilornis abbotti, 427.
cheela, 72 604,
klossi, 426.
Spindalis zena,
289.
— townsendi,
288.
Spizaétus tyrannus, 497.
Spizixus canifrons, 594.
Sporadinus bracei, 293.
riccordi, 274, 293.
Sporopipes squamifrons,
9°
288,
Spreo bicolor, 223.
Squatarola helvetica,
162, 300.
Stachyris assimilis, 590.
--— banjakensis, 130,
427.
—— chrysops, 130.
nigriceps, 590.
Staphidia striata, 590.
Stelgidillas gracilirostris,
363, 564.
—— poensis, 363, 365.
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis,
470, 486, 487, 489,
499.
Stenopsis cayennensis,
150.
ins:laris,
150.
Stephanibyx coronatus,
236, *
Sterna anexstheta, 314.
anethetus, 314.
anglica, 166, 313,
566.
antillarum, 314.
cantiaca, 318.
— fuliginosa, 314.
— hirundo, 628.
macrura, 116.
maxima, 313.
melanogaster, 166.
—— minuta, 166.
regia, 313.
sandvicensis acu-
flavida, 314.
seena, 166.
superciliaris, 314.
Stiphrornis gabonensis,
367.
Stoparola melanops, 598.
Strepsilas interpres, 160,
301.
Streptopelia semitor-
quata, 396.
Strix, 46, 47.
candida, 61.
flanmea, 61, 213,
401, 604.
—— pratineola,
20 Ds
pvensis, 401.
pratincola, 117, 295.
Struthio, 614.
australis, 238.
camelus, 437.
capensis, 486.
Sturnia erythropygia
katchalensis, 426.
Sturnus sophiz, 117.
— unicolor, 211.
vulgaris, 117, 519.
caucasicus,
519.
Sublegatus fasciatus, 241.
platyrhynchus, 241.
Sula bassana, 482.
Suthora craddocki, 586.
davidiana, 586.
thompsoni, 586.
Suya waterstradti, 254.
Sycalis flaveola, 456,
470).
Sycobius malimbus, 354.
Sycobrotus poensis, 356.
tephronotus, 356.
Sylvia affinis, 541.
atricapilla, 207,
540.
— badiceps, 400.
Nun. VILL —VOL, Tit.
SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Sylvia cinerea, 541.
conspicillata, 201,
207.
curruea, 540.
deserticola, 203.
fainiliaris, 543.
— hortensis, 206.
jerdoni, 541.
melanocephala, 207,
melanothorax, 575.
mystacea, 539.
nana, 505, 540.
orphea jerdoni, 541.
rubescens, 539.
rufa, 541,
subalpina, 206.
Sylvicola superciliaris,
370.
Sylviella rufescens, 227.
Symphemia semipalmata,
305.
Symplectes tephronotus,
129, 356.
Synallaxis, 479.
rutilans, 481, 499.
singularis, 107, 108.
spixi notatus, 425,
Syrigma cyanocephalum,
462
MTT E
Syrnium, 47,
aluco, 507, 516,
560.
nivicola, 604.
ocellatum, 62.
perspicillatum, 466.
Taccocua leschenaulti, 59,
60.
Tachornis batassiensis,
56.
eracilis, 389, 400.
Tachycineta albiventris,
478, 480, 482, 483, 485,
489, 495, 499.
thalassina brachy-
ptera, 414.
Tachypetes aquilus, 512.
Tachyphonus melaleucus,
480, 498.
Tadorna casarca, 328,
cornuta, 174.
vulpanser, 325.
Teenioptera irupero, 469.
Tanagra bonariensis, 457,
471.
—-— cyanoptera, 471.
—— episcopus, 480, 499.
—— palmarum, 478,479,
498.
Tantalus loculator, 464,
Tanygnathus, 626.
657
Tanygnathus megalo-
rhynchus viridipennis,
419,
Tapera brasiliensis, 259.
neevia, 239.
Tarziger cyanurus, 20.
silens, 229.
Tchitrea atrochalybea,
400.
—— procera, 427,
— tricolor, 387.
Tephrocorys cinerea,
225.
Tephrodornis ocreatus,
400.
pelvicus, 216.
Terenura sharpii, 156,
xanthonota, 156.
Terpsiphone atrocha-
lybea, 400.
incil, 25.
tricolor, 387.
Tesia cyaniventris, 590.
Thalassogeron, 82, 265,
266.
culminatus, 82.
salvini, 82.
Thamnophilus, 479, 481,
489, 496.
~ amazonicus, 499.
maculicauda, 499.
— major, 469.
—— nigrocinereus, 499.
simplex, 499.
tephrogaster, 425.
Thereoceryx zeylonicus,
50.
Theristicus hagedash, 187.
melanopus, 461.
olivaceus, 187.
rarus, 185, 187.
Thinocorus orbignianus,
446, 447.
rumicivorus, 446.
Thriponax parvus, 130,
427.
Thryothorus genibarbis,
AT9, 481, 486, 489, 495,
499,
leucotis, 425.
Tiga javanensis, 602.
Tigrisoma brasiliense,
488, 500.
marmoratum, 462.
Tinamus solitarius, 488,
489, 490, 499.
Tinnuneculus, 640.
alaudarius, 31, 80,
81, 561, 605.
— cenchris, 31,- 8],
dbl.
PAD <
658 |
Tinnunculus cinnamo-
mimus, 453, 465.
rupicola, 233.
rupicoloides, 233.
Todirostrum cinereum,
479.
ecaudatum, 425.
maculatum, 499.
Totanus ecalidris, 164,
236, 564.
canescens, 237.
flavipes. 304, 444.
— fuseus, 164
glareola, 33, 163.
—— glottis, 164.
—— hypoleucus, 163,
399, 564.
melanoleucus, 303.
frazari, 414.
ochropus, 33, 164,
214, 564.
semipalmatus, 303.
-— stagnatilis, 164,219,
237.
Trachelotis czrulescens,
235.
Treron calva, 305.
nepalensis, 605.
Tribura melanorhyncha,
215.
Trichastoma rostratum,
627.
rufipennis, 365,
366.
umbratile, 627.
Tricholema leucomelas,
232.
Trichophorus _ polio-
cephalus, 378, 403.
Tringa alpina, 164, 249.
interpres, 301.
maritima, 249.
minuta, 164, 249.
— minutilla, 303.
— pugnax, 564.
ruficollis, 249.
subarquata, 164.
— temmincki, 33, 164.
249.
Tringoides hypoleucus,
399, 564.
macularius, 304.
Trochalopterum melano-
stigma, 588.
pheeniceum, 588.
ripponi, 588.
Trochilus evelyn, 292.
Trochocercus albiveutris,
387.
Troglodytes cypriotes,
579.
INDEX OF
Troglodytes musculus,
478, 479, 499.
neglectus, 576.
parvulus, 203, 208.
Trogon viridis, 498.
Turacus buffoni, 401.
emini, 129.
— giganteus, 391.
— meriani, 391.
schuetti, 129.
Turdinulus humii, 254.
Turdinus albipectus,
365.
batesi, 367.
—— bocagei, 365, 403,
623.
fulvescens,
365,
368.
Turdus, 263.
atrigularis, 27, 88,
620.
auritus, 88, 89.
— coburni, 117.
—- dubius, 88.
tuscatus, 26, 456.
— hortulorum, 89.
merula, 205, 516,
SINE
—— ——- cabrere, 121.
—— mauritanicus,
121.
syriacus, 551.
musicus, 88, 248,
551.
neevius, 142.
naumanni, 26, 27,
88, 89.
— obscurus, 27.
olivaceus, 228.
pallidus, 89.
poensis, 381.
— ruficollis, 26, 88.
viscivorus bona-
partei, 150.
xanthorhynehus,
382, 429.
Turnix blanfordi, 32.
dussumieri, 154.
—— pugnax, 154, 606.
tanki, 154, 607.
Turtur auritus, 568.
cambayensis, 150.
capicola, 234.
decaocta, 90.
douraca, 90.
ferrago, 150.
orientalis, 32.
risorius, 32, 150.
semitorquatus, 234,
396.
senegalensis, 234.
Turtur suratensis, 150.
turtur, 568.
sess arenicola,
568.
Tympanistria bicolor,
397.
fraseri, 397.
tympanistria, 397.
Tyranniscus bolivianus
paulistus, 421.
Tyrannus dominicensis,
291.
griseus, 291.
— melancholicus, 456,
499.
Upucerthia dumetoria,
450.
Upupa africana, 230.
—— epops, 30, 55, 212,
557.
indiea, 55,
Uria lomvia, 613.
troile, 635.
Urochroma purpurata,
498.
Urocichla reptata, 595,
Unocissa erythrorhyneha,
99
oe ek
Urolais, 374.
marie, 339, 374,
375.
Urolestes melanoleucus,
296
226.
Uroloncha malabarica,
punctulata, 599,
Urubitinga sp., 487.
schistacea, 476, 497.
unicincta, 465.
zonura, 482, 488,
489, 495, 497.
Vanellus albiceps, 402.
cayennensis, 445,
460.
chilensis, 444, 445,
460.
vulgaris, 33, 161.
Vidua pyrincipalis, 224,
349.
serina, 349.
Vinago calva, 395.
—-- sharpii, 39d.
sharpii, 396.
Vini, 258.
Vireo altiloquus barba-
tulus, 287.
— calidris, 287.
Vireo calidris barbatulus,
287.
crassirostris, 217.
flavescens,
288.
—— flavifrons, 275, 488.
Volatinia jacarini, 480,
498,
Vultur alimoch, 316,
monachus, 69.
Xanthixus flavescens, 594.
Xantholema hamato-
cephala, 51.
Xanthopygia — tricolor,
26.
Xanthornus icterus ridg-
wayi, 121.
Xenerpestes, 106, 107,
108.
SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Xenerpestes minlosi, 107,
108.
singularis, 108.
Xenicopsis percnopterus,
425.
Xenocichla
400.
— notata, 362.
tricolor, 400.
Xenorhynchus asiaticus,
169.
Xiphidiopterus albiceps,
402,
Xiphocolaptes major, 469.
Xylobueco scolopaceus,
394, 623.
albigularis,
Zanclostomus flavirostris,
392.
Zenaida auriculata, 445.
659
Zenaidura macrura, 298.
Zizorhis gigantea, 391.
Zonotrichia canicapilla,
451, 457.
pileata, 451, 457.
Zoothera marginata,
599.
Zosterops arabs, 620.
aureiventer, 591.
brunnea, 347, 399,
capensis, 226.
—— erythropleura, 22.
fex, 430.
flavissima, 419,
gulliveri, 613,
— kaffensis, 126.
—— simplex, 591.
— smithi, 126.
stenocricota, 547,
yentralis, 426.
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INDEX OF
CONTENTS.
1905.
Abbott, W. L., on birds collected in
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
by, noticed, 426; on the birds col-
lected in N.W, Sumatra by, noticed,
427.
Abruzzi, Duke of, on the birds collected
by, on his North Polar Expedition,
noticed, 428.
Abyssinia, Erlanger on the ornithology
of, noticed, 119.
Africa, on the zoological results of O.
Neumann’s expedition into N.E.,
noticed, 125; on new birds from,
noticed, 126; Reichenow’s ‘ Die
Vogel Afrikas,’ noticed, 129; Bux-
ton’s ‘Two African ‘rips,’ noticed,
249; on birds from the Kikuyu
Mountains, British Hast, noticed, 253;
Pease’s ‘ Travel and Sport in Africa,’
noticed, 258; Sclater’s ‘Fauna of
South Africa,’ noticed, 623.
Alaska, on the birds collected by the
Andrew J. Stone expedition in,
noticed, 415.
Albatrosses, on the flight and distribu-
tion of, 81, 320.
Alexander, B., return of, from the Gold
Coast. 140; on the birds of Fernando
Po, 330.
Aliwal North, list of birds observed on
the Orange River between Odendaal-
stroom and, 222.
Allen, J. A., on so-called species and
subspecies, noticed, 247.
Amazonia, remarks on the Cracide of
Lower, 472; on the destruction of
White Herons and Red Ibises on the
Lower Ainazon, noticed, 614; List of
the Birds of, noticed, 615; on the birds
SER. VIII.—VOL. IIL.
of the Island of Mexiana, noticed,
616.
America, remarks on certain species of
Gallinz fro, 108; on new birds
from South, noticed, 116, 425;
Ridgway’s ‘Birds of North and
Middle America,’ noticed, 261 ; Foun-
tain’s ‘ Great Mountains and Forests
of South, noticed, 417; ‘ Biologia
Centrali-Americana,’ noticed, 417.
American Ornithologists, meeting of, in
California, 637.
Andaman Islands, on birds collected by
W. L. Abbott and C. B. Kloss in the,
noticed, 426.
Andersen, K., on the birds of the Faeroe
Islands, noticed, 248.
‘Annals of Scottish Natural History,’
noticed, 113, 410.
Anniversary Meeting of the British
Ornithologists’ Union, Proceedings
at the, 433.
Annobom, Salvadori on birds from,
noticed, 622.
Aplin, O. V., letter on the courting of
the Robin, 132; letter on the occur-
rence of the Dotterel in Merioneth-
shire, 133.
Arabia, on birds from South, noticed,
620.
Argentina, on a collection of birds from
N.W., 441.
Arribalzaga, [. L., on the birds of Para
guay described by A. de W. Bertoni,
noticed, 606.
Arrigoni degli Oddi, E., on the Harle-
quin Deck in Italy, noticed, 114;
letter on a specimen of Athene chia-
radie, 140.
2Y
662
Arundel, W. B., on the occurrence of
the Glossy Ibis at Pontefract, York-
shire, 136.
Atlas (Great), bird-notes from the, 196.
‘ Auk,’ ‘ The,’ noticed, 114, 411.
Australasian Ornithologists’ Union,
on the Annual Meeting of the, 268.
Australia, North on the nests and eggs
of birds of, noticed, 622.
‘Avicultural Magazine,’ noticed, 116,
248, GOT.
Baer, G. A., on Humming-birds ob-
tained in Peru by, noticed, 132.
Bahama Islands, on a collection of
birds from the Northern, 273.
Bangs, O., Stejneger’s Catalogue of
Birds from the Liu Kiu Islands,
revision, noticed, 413; on new races
of American birds, noticed, 413.
Barrett-Hamilton, G. EH. H., remarks on
the flight and distribution of the
Albatrosses of the North Pacific
Ocean, 520; on the position of birds’
legs during flight, noticed, 608.
Barrington, R. M., letter on the birds
said to be Red-breasted Flycatchers
at the Casquets Lighthouse, 265.
Bate, Dorothy M. A., field-notes on
some of the birds of Cyprus, 571.
Batjan, on the birds of, noticed, 420.
Benham, W. B., on an egg of a Moa in
the Otago University Museum, no-
ticed, 116; on Dr. Meyer’s article
* On the Eggs of the Moa,” 632.
Berg, C , obituarial notice of, 272.
Berlepsch, Hans Graf von, on the
genera AXenerpestes and Metopothrix,
106; on new South American birds,
noticed, 117; letter on the names
Chlorochrysa fulgentissima and Mala-
cothraupis castaneiceps as regards
priority, 135.
Bertoni, A. de W., on the birds of
Paraguay described by, noticed, 606.
Bingham, C. 'T., a contribution to our
knowledge of the birds occurring in
the Southern Shan States, Upper
Burma, 584.
‘ Biologia Centrali-Americana,’ noticed,
417.
Blaauw, F. E., notes on the breeding
of Ross’s Snow-Goose in captivity,
245.
Bolivia, on a fossil Condor from, no-
ticed, 425; on a collection of birds
from the Chaco of, 441.
Bonhote, J. L., on a collection of birds
from the Northern Islands of the
Bahama Group, 273.
Borneo, on a new Stork from, 145.
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
Brazil, on the birds of Sao Paulo,
noticed, 421; ornithological results
of an expedition to the Capim River,
472.
Brewster, W., on the occurrence of
certain birds in Massachusetts,
noticed, 117; an _ crnithological
mystery, noticed, 117; on an unde-
scribed form of the Black Duck,
noticed, 117; on the birds of the
Cape Region of Lower California,
noticed, 413.
British birds. Hett’s glossary of names
of, noticed, 122.
British Museum, Handbook of In-
struction for Collectors, noticed, 418 ;
Report for 1902, 635.
British Ornithologists’ Union, Pro-
ceedings at the Anniversary Meeting
of the, 458.
Buckley, T. E., notice of the death of,
144; obituarial notice of, 270.
Burma, on the Silver-Pheasants of,
93; on birds of the Southern Shan
States, 584.
Burturlin, 8. A., on birds from Eastern
Livonia, noticed, 117; on the Waders
of the Russian Empire, noticed,
249.
Butler, A. G., ‘Hints on Cage-Birds,’
noticed, 608.
Butler, A. L., letter on Messrs. Roth-
schild and Wollaston’s description of
Eupodotis arabs in their paper on the
birds of Shendi, 139.
Buton, Celebes, on the birds of, noticed,
419,
Buxton, E. N., ‘Two African Trips,’
noticed, 249,
Cagayan Sulu, on birds from, noticed,
414.
‘ Cage-Birds,’
noticed, 608.
California, Grinnell’s ‘ Check-list of
the Birds of, noticed, 253; on the
birds of the Cape Region of Lower,
noticed, 413.
Canada, Job’s ‘Among the Waterfowl
of Lower,’ noticed, 256.
Capim River, Parad, ornithological
results of an expedition to the, 47
Butler’s ‘Hints on,’
(2.
Casquets Lighthouse, letter on the birds
sail to be Red-breasted Flycatchers
at the, 265.
‘ Cassinia,’ noticed, 609.
Celebes, on the birds of Tukong-Besi
Islands and Buton, noticed, 419; on
birds from Northern, noticed, 617 ;
on new birds from, noticed, 622.
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
Chapman, F. M., letter on the priority
of the names Chlorochrysa hed-
wige and C. fulgentissiina, 266 ;
letter on his description of Lagopus
leucurus peninsularis, 267; on the
birds collected in Alaska by the
Andrew J. Stone expedition, noticed,
415.
‘Cheek-list of N. American Birds,’
Twelfth Supplement to the, 640.
Clarke, W. E., bird-migration in Great,
Britain and Ireland, noticed, 251 ;
visit of, to the Kentish Knock to
observe the migration of birds, 640.
Classification of certain groups of birds,
Shufeldt on the, noticed, 430.
Coburn, F., on an expedition to the
North of Iceland, noticed, 117; on
the specific validity of Anser gambeli,
noticed, 118; on Anser paludosus
(Strickland), noticed, 609.
Colour in feathers, Strong on, noticed,
627.
Cracide, remarks on the Lower Ama-
zonian, 472.
Cuba, on a new Swallow from, Botived!
424.
Cuckoo, on the early life of the young,
noticed, 263.
Culion, Philippines, on
noticed, 414.
Curagao. on a new subspecies of S¢er-
opsis cayennensis from, noticed, 130. .
Cuyo, Philippines, on birds from, no-
ticed, 414.
Cyprus, field-notes on some of the birds
Of De.
birds from,
Dalmatia, on the birds of, noticed,
422
Degen, E., on Eedysis, noticed, 609.
Delaware Valley Ornithological Club’s
‘Cassinia,’ noticed, 609.
Denmark, on the birds of the light-
houses of, noticed, 1382; on fossil
birds of, noticed, 630.
‘ Derbyshire,’ Jourdain’s ‘ Or nithology
of, notie ed, 256.
Dosecett, W. G., news of, from Central
Africa, 269.
Doherty, W., on birds collected in the
Kikuyu Mountains by, noticed, 255.
Dresser, H. E., on some rare or un-
figured eggs of Palwarctic birds, 88,
404; on the synonymy of some Pale-
arctic birds, 89; ‘Manual of Palex-
arctic Birds,’ noticed, 252, 610.
Drygalski, Dr., on the Penguins of
Gauss-land, 638.
663
Eastman, C. E., Zittel’s ‘Text-book of
Paleontology,’ noticed, 264.
Eedysis, as morphological evidence of
the original tetradactyle feathering
of the bird’s fore-wing, noticed, 609.
Ecuador, further notes on the birds of
North-west, noticed, 255; on a new
bird from, noticed, 420.
Eggs: on some rare and unfigured Pala-
arctic birds’-eggs, 88, 404; of the
Moa, 116, 188, 632; of the Kagu,
noticed, 424; of Australian birds,
North on, noticed, 622
‘Emu,’ ‘The,’ noticed, 118, 611.
Erlanger, C. v., on the ornithology of
Abyssinia, Galla-land and Somali-
land, noticed, 119.
Eskimos, on the food-birds of the,
noticed, 613.
Ethiopia, on new birds from Southern,
noticed, 126.
Feroe Islands, on the birds of the,
noticed, 248.
Falconiforiues, Pycraft on the osteology
of the, 141.
Fars, S.W. Persia, an ornithological
journey in, 501.
Feathers, on the colour in, noticed,
z
27.
Fernando Po, on the birds of, 330; on
birds from, noticed, 622; map ae
plate vit.
Ficao, Philippines, on birds from,
noticed, 414.
Figgins, J. D., on the food-birds of the
Eskimos, noticed, 613.
Finn, F., on abrupt variation in Indian
birds, noticed, 119; on hybrids be-
tween the Guinea-fowl and Common
Fowl, noticed, 253; notes on varia-
tion in birds, noticed, 253: on two
birds from Mauritius, noticed, 415.
Finsch, O., on Diceum sollicitans,
noticed, 415; on two new Javan
birds, noticed, 416; on two species
of Centropus, noticed, 416; Cata-
logue of the Bird-collection of the
Leyden Museum — Indieatoride,
noticed, 613; deseription of Penelo-
pides talisi, noticed, 614; description
of Ortholophus cassini, noticed, 614.
Fisher, A. K., on two vanishing game-
birds, ea LY:
Fisher, K., on a new Tern from the
patil Islands, noticed, 416.
Flight: of Albatrosses, remarks on the,
3820; on the position of birds’ legs
during, noticed, 608.
664.
Fohkien, additional field-notes on the
birds of, 215.
Fossil birds: on a Condor from Bolivia,
noticed, 423; of the genera Hesper-
ornis, Hargeria, Baptornis, and Dia-
tryma, noticed, 423; of Denmark,
noticed, 630.
Foster, W. T., on the birds collected in
Paraguay by, noticed, 424.
Fountain, P., ‘The Great Mountuains
and Forests of South America, noticed,
417.
Francis, H. F., death of, 639.
Fuerbringer, M., on the genealogy of
birds, noticed, 614.
Gadow, H., on the wings and skeleton
of Phalacrocorax harrisi, noticed,
120.
Galapagos Islands, on the fauna of the,
noticed, 131.
Galla land, on
noticed, 119.
Gallinez, remarks on certain species of
American, 108.
Game-birds, Fisher on vanishing, noticed,
119.
Gauss-land, on the Penguins of, 638.
Genealogy of Birds, Fuerbringer on the,
noticed, 614.
Giglioli, H. H., the strange case of
Athene chiaradie, 1, 137, 140; on a
presumed new species of Redstart
from the Island of Sardinia, 581.
Godman, F. D., ‘Biologia Centrali-
Americana,’ noticed, 417.
Goeldi, E. A., ornithological results of
an expedition to the Capim River,
State of Parad, with critical remarks
on the Cracidse of Lower Amazonia,
472; on the destruction of White
Herons and Red Ibises in Amazonia,
noticed, 614; on the material used by
Ostinops decumanus in the building
of its nest, 630.
,and Hagmann, G., ‘Aves Amazoni-
eas,’ noticed, 615.
Goodfellow, W., news of, from the
Philippines, 435.
Great Britain, on bird migration in,
noticed, 251.
Grinnell, J., ‘ Check-list of Californian
Birds,’ noticed, 253.
Guinea, on the ornithology of the
islands of the Gulf of, noticed, 429,
622.
Guinea-fowi, on hybrids between the
Common fowl and the, noticed, 255.
Gullet of birds, Swenander on the,
noticed, 4380.
the ornithology of,
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
Hagmann, G., on his visit to the
Island of Mexiana, Amazon, noticed,
616.
, and Goeldi, EH. A., ‘Aves Amazo-
nicas,’ noticed, 615.
Hainan, on birds from, received at the
Tring Museum, 270.
Hall, R., departure of, from Melbourne
for Vladivostock, 270.
ep Pie Days,’ Hudson’s, noticed,
618.
Harrison, A. C., on the birds collected
in Sumatra by, noticed, 626.
Hartert, B., on his travels and researches,
noticed, 120; on the birds of the
Kangean Islands, noticed, 122; on
birds from Pahang, noticed, 254;
further notes on the birds of N.W.
Ecuador, noticed, 255; on birds from
the Kikuyu Mountains, British E.
Africa, noticed, 255; on ornithological
nomenclature, noticed, 418; on the
birds of the Obi Group, Central
Moluceas, noticed, 419; on the birds
of the Tukong-Besi Islands and Buton,
Celebes, noticed, 419; on the birds
of Batjan, noticed, 420; on a new
bird from Ecuador, noticed, 420.
, and Hellmayr, C. E., on the genus
Masius, noticed, 617.
, and Rothschild, W., on the fauna
of the Galapagos Islands, noticed,
131; on the birds of Ysabel Island,
Solomon Group, noticed, 262; notes
on Papuan birds, noticed, 428.
Hart Museum, Christchurch, note on
the, 487.
Harvie-Brown, J. A., on the avifauna of
the Outer Hebrides, noticed, 617.
Hawaiian Islands, on the birds of the,
noticed, 420.
Hebrides (Outer), on the avifauna of
the, noticed, 617.
Hellmayr, O. E., and Hartert, E., on
the genus Masius, noticed, 617.
, and Lorenz-Liburnau, L. v., on
birds from Southern Arabia, noticed,
620.
Henshaw, H. W., on the birds of the
Hawaiian Islands, noticed, 420.
Hett, C. L., glossary of names of British
birds, noticed, 122.
Hiller, H. M., on the birds collected in
Sumatra by, noticed, 626.
Hose, C©., on birds from Northern
Celebes, noticed, 617.
Hudson, W. H., ‘Hampshire Days,’
noticed, 618.
Hudson Bay, on the biology of, noticed,
260.
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
Humming-birds observed
noticed, 132.
Hungary, on the birds of, noticed, 620.
Hutton, F. W., remarks on the flight
of Albatrosses, 81; letter on the
species of Albatrosses, 265; note on
the genus Certhiparus, 318.
Hybrids between the Guinea-fowl and
Common Fowl, Finn on, noticed,
253.
in Peru,
Iceland, on an expedition to the North
of, noticed, 117.
Ihering, H. v., on the birds of Sao
Paulo, Brazil, noticed, 421.
‘Index Animalium,’ Sherborn’s, noticed,
626.
India, on abrupt variation in Indian
birds, noticed, 119.
Innes, W., ‘ Journey to the White Nile,’
noticed, 421.
Ireland, on bird-migration in, noticed,
251; on the bird-fauna of, noticed,
629.
Issik-kul (Lake), Russian Turkestan, on
birds collected south of, noticed, 180.
Java, on two new birds from, noticed,
416.
Jesse, W., a List of the Birds of Luck-
now, 49, 148.
Job, H. K.,‘ Among the Waterfowl,’
noticed, 256.
Johnston, Sir Harry, ‘The Uganda
Protectorate,’ noticed, 122.
Jourdain, Rev. F. C. R., ‘The Ornith-
ology of Derbyshire,’ noticed, 256.
Kangean Islands, on the birds of the,
noticed, 122.
Kikuyu Mountains, British East Africa,
on birds from the, noticed, 245.
Kloss, C. B., on the birds collected in
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
by, noticed, 426.
Kola Peninsula, on birds observed in
the, 634.
Kollibay, R., on the birds of Dalmatia,
noticed, 422.
Kolthoff, G., on the migration of birds
on the Island of Oland, noticed, 619.
Konig, A. F., departure of, for Egypt,
269.
Kihn, H., on the birds collected on the
Tukong-Besi Islands and Buton by,
noticed, 419.
Leeward Islands, on a new Tern from
the, noticed, 416.
665
Legge, W. V., on the birds of Tasmania,
noticed, 124.
Legs, on the position during flight of
birds’, noticed, 608.
Le Souéf, A. A., obituarial notice of,
272.
Leyden Museum, Catalogue of the Bird-
collection of the, noticed, 613.
Lighthouses, on the birds of the Danish,
noticed, 132.
Lilford, Lord: Trevor-Battye’s ‘Lord
Lilford on Birds,’ noticed, 256.
Lillo, M., on the birds of Tucuman,
noticed, 422.
Liu Kiu Islands, Stejneger’s Catalogue
of the Birds of the, revision, noticed,
415.
Livonia, on birds from Eastern, noticed
WING
London: Pigott’s
noticed, 128.
Lonnberg, E., remarks on the type-
specimens of certain birds named by
the late Carl Peter Thunberg, 258 ;
on a fossil Condor from Bolivia,
noticed, 423 ; ona collection of Birds
from North-western Argentina and
the Bolivian Chaco, 441.
Lorenz-Liburnau, L. y., on birds from
New Zealand, noticed, 619.
, and Hellmayr, C. E., on birds
from South Arabia, noticed, 620.
Lucas, F. W., on the fossil birds of the
genera Hesperornis, Hargeria, Bap-
tornis, and Diatryma, noticed, 423.
Lucknow, a list of the birds of, 49, 148.
Luzon, on birds from, noticed, 414.
‘Lendon Birds,’
McGregor, R. C., on birds from Luzon,
Mindoro, Masbate, Ficao, Cuyo,
Culion, Cagayan Sulu, and Palawan,
noticed, 414,
Madarasz, J. v., on a new Blue-throat,
noticed, 125; on the birds of Hun-
gary, noticed, 620; description of
Lusciniola mimica, noticed, 621.
Maraj6é (Island of), on the destruction
of White Herons and Red Ibises in,
noticed, 614.
Masbate, on birds from, noticed, 414.
Massachusetts, on certain rare birds in,
noticed 117.
Mauritius, on two birds from, noticed,
415.
Meade-Waldo, E. G. B., bird-notes from
Morocco and the Great Atlas, 196.
Mearns, E. A., descriptions of three new
subspecies from the Southern United
States, noticed, 125.
666
Meek, A.S., on the birds collected on
Ysabel Island by, noticed, 262.
Menzbier, M., and Sushkin, P., on the
adult dress of the Labrador Falcon,
242.
Merrill, S., on birds new to Palestine,
324,
Mexiana, on the birds of the Island of,
noticed, 616.
Meyer, A. B., on the eggs of the Moa,
188, 632; on new birds from Celebes,
noticed, 622.
Migration of birds: in Great Britain and
Ireland, noticed 251; on the Island
of Oland, noticed, 619.
Mindoro, on birds from, noticed, 414.
Moa, on the eggs of the, 116, 188, 632.
Moluccas, on the birds of the Obi group,
noticed, 419.
Morocco, bird-notes from, 196.
Moult of Gymnorhina tibicen, Degen on
the, noticed, 609.
Mudge, G. P., on the myology of the
tongue of Parrots, noticed, 258.
Musters, J. P. C., and Pearson, H. J., on
birds observed in the Kola Peninsula
by, 654.
Nelson, E. W., on a new Cuban Cliff-
Swallow, noticed, 424.
Nelson, T. H., on the occurrence of
Emberiza pusilla in Co. Durham, 139.
Nests and eggs of Australian birds,
North on the, noticed, 622.
Neumann, O., on the zoological results
of his expedition into N.E. Africa,
noticed, 125; on new African birds,
noticed, 126; on new birds from
Southern Ethiopia, noticed, 126.
New England Zoological Club, Pro-
ceedings of the, noticed, 415.
Newton, A., ‘ Ootheca Wolleyana,’
noticed, 126.
~ New Zealand, on birds from, noticed,
619.
Nice, on the Ostrich-farm at, 436.
Nicobar Islands, on birds collected by
W. L. Abbott and C. B. Kloss in the,
noticed, 426.
Nicoll, M. J., news of, from Lisbon, 140;
from Monte Video, 269; from Fiji,
436.
Nile (White), Innes’s voyage to the,
noticed, 421.
Nomenclature, Hartert on Ornitholo-
gical, noticed, 418.
North, A. J., on Hremiornis carteri,
noticed, 127 ; on Malurus leucopterus,
noticed, 127; on the eggs of the Kagu,
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
noticed, 424; on nests and eggs of
Australian birds, noticed, 622.
North Pole, on the birds collected by
the Duke of Abruzzi on his expedi-
tion towards the, noticed, 428.
Oates, E. W., on the Silver-Pheasants
of Burma, 93.
Oberholser, H. C., on the Larks of the
genus Otocorys, noticed, 128 ; on birds
from Paraguay, noticed, 424; on some
new 8. American birds, noticed, 425.
Obi group, Central Moluccas, on the
birds of the, noticed, 419.
Odendaalstroom, list of birds observed
on the Orange River between Aliwal
North and, 222.
Ogilvie-Grant, W. R., additional re-
marks on certain species of American
Galline, 108; on a new Stork from
Borneo, 145; on the Shrikes of the
genus Lantus, noticed, 258; departure
_.of, for the Azores, 269.
Oland, migration of birds on the Island
of, noticed, 619.
‘ Ootheca Wolleyana,’ noticed, 126.
Orange River, list of birds observed
between Aliwal North and Odendaal-
stroom on the, 222.
Osteology of the Falconiformes, Pycraft
on the, 141.
Ostrich-farm at Nice, note on the, 436.
Pahang, on birds from, noticed, 254.
Palearctic birds, on some rare and
unfigured eggs of, 88, 404; on the
synonymy of some, 89; Dresser’s
‘Manual of,’ noticed, 252, 610.
‘ Paleontology,’ Zittel’s ‘Text-book of,’
noticed, 264.
Palawan, on birds from, noticed, 414.
Palestine, on birds new to, 324.
Papua, notes on the birds of, noticed,
428.
Para, ornithological results of an expe-
dition to the Capim River in the State
of, 472.
Paraguay, on the birds collected by W.
T. Foster in, noticed, 424; on the
birds described by A. de W. Bertoni
from, noticed, 606.
‘ Parrakeets, Seth-Simith’s, noticed, 131,
625.
Parrots, on the myology of the tongue
of, noticed, 258.
‘Patagonia,’ Prichard’s ‘Through the
Heart of, noticed, 425.
Pearson, H.J.,and Musters, J: P. C., on
birds observed in the Kola Peninsula
by, 634.
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
Pease, A. H., ‘Travel and Sport in
Africa,’ noticed, 258.
Peel, C. V. A., ‘The Zoological Gardens
of Europe,’ noticed, 259,
Peking, on the birds of, 19.
Penguins of Gauss-land, note on the,
638.
Persia, an ornithological journey in
Fars in South-west, 501.
Peru, on Humming-birds obtained by
G. A. Baer in, noticed, 132.
Pheasants: on the Silver-Pheasants of
Burma, 98.
Philadelphia Academy of Science, on
the collection of birds of the, 437.
Philippine Museum, Bulletin of the,
noticed, 414.
Picot, P., note on his ‘Tables Méthod-
iques des Mammiféres et des Oiseaux
... de la Haute Garonne,’ 316.
Pigott, T. D., ‘London Birds and other
Sketches,’ noticed, 128.
Preble, E. A., on the biology of Hudson
Bay, noticed, 260.
Prichard, H. Hesketh, ‘Through the
Heart of Patagonia,’ noticed, 425.
Principe Island, on the birds of, noticed,
429.
Protection of small birds, on Inter-
national, 148.
Pterylography of Photodilus, Pycraft on
the, 36.
Pyeraft, W. P., on the pterylography
of Photodilus, 36; on the osteology
of the Falconiformes, 141.
Radde, Gustav, obituarial notice of,
439.
Reichenow, A., ‘Die Vogel Afrikas,’
noticed, 129; report on the progress
of ornithology, noticed, 261.
Reiser, O., on his proposed expedition
to South America, 140.
Richmond, C. W., on two new birds
from Trong, Lower Siam, noticed,
129; on a new subspecies of Stenopsis
cayennensis, noticed, 130; on new
birds from the Sumatran Islands,
noticed, 1380; on the generic term
Ivoreus, 142; on birds from the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
noticed, 426; on birds from N.W.
Sumatra, noticed, 427; on Pinaro-
loxias inornata, noticed, 427.
Rickett, C. B., additional field-notes on
the birds of Fohkien, 215.
Ridgway, R., ‘The Birds of North and
Middle America,’ noticed, 261.
Robin, on the courting of the, 132.
667
Rothschild, W., on birds from the
south of Lake Issik-kul in Russian
Turkestan, noticed, 130.
, and Hartert, E., on the fauna of
the Galapagos Islands, noticed, 131 ;
on the birds of Yeabel Island, Solomon
Group, noticed, 262; notes on Papuan
birds, noticed, 428.
Russia, on the Waders of the Empire
of, noticed, 249.
‘St. Kilda and its Birds, Wiglesworth’s,
noticed, 629.
St. Thomas Island, on the birds of,
noticed, 429.
Salvadori, T., on a new species of
Ammomanes, noticed, 131; on the
Ibis olivacea of Dubus, 178; on the
birds collected by the Duke of Abruzzi
on his North Polar expedition,
noticed, 428; on the ornithology of
the islands of the Gulf of Guinea:
the birds of Principe Island, the
birds of St. Thomas Island, noticed,
429 - birds from Annobom and Fer-
nando Po and on two new species of
birds from Fernando Po, noticed,
622.
Sao Paulo, Brazil, on the birds of,
noticed, 421.
Sarasin, P. and F., new expedition of,
to Celebes, 270.
Sardinia, on a presumed new species of
Redstart from, 581.
Sclater, P. L., on the generic term
Txoreus, 142.
Sclater, W. L., ‘Fauna of South Africa,”
Birds, noticed, 623.
Scott, W. EH. D., ‘Story of a Bird-
lover,’ noticed, 624.
Seebohm, H., and Sharpe, R. B.,
‘Monograph of the Turdidx,’ noticed,
262.
Seth-Smith, D., ‘ Parrakeets,’ noticed,
131, 625.
Shan States (Southern), on birds of the,
584.
Sharpe, R. B., remarks on Pitta longi-
pennis and Pitta reichenowi, 91.
, and Seebohm, H., ‘ Monograph of
the Turdidze,’ noticed, 262.
Sherborn, C. D., note on P. Picot’s
“Tables Méthodiques des Mammiféres
et des Oiseaux ... de la Haute
Garonne, 516; ‘Index Animalium,’
noticed, 626.
Shufeldt, R. W., on the classification of
certain groups of birds, noticed, 430.
Siam, on two new birds from Trong, in
Lower, noticed, 129.
668
Simon, E.,on Peruvian Humming-birds,
noticed, 132.
Snouckaert van Schauburg, Baron, on
the collection of birds of, 142.
Society for the Protection of Birds,
Report of the, 268.
Solomon Islands, on the birds of Ysahel
Island, neticed, 262.
Somali-land, on the ornithology of,
noticed, 119.
Species and subspecies, Allen on, noticed,
247,
Stark, A. C., sale of the eggs, birds,
and books of the late, 143.
Stejneger, L., catalogue of the birds of
the Liu Kiu Islands, revision, noticed,
413,
Stomach of birds, Swenander on the,
noticed, 480.
Stone, A. J., on the birds collected in
Alaska by the Andrew J. Stone ex-
pedition, noticed, 415.
Stone, W., on birds from Sumatra,
noticed, 627.
Strong, R. M., on colour in feathers,
noticed, 627; on variation in N.
American Shrikes, noticed, 628.
Subspecies and species, Allen on,
noticed, 247.
Sumatra, on eight new birds from the
islands on the west coast of, noticed,
130; on the birds collected by W. L.
Abbott in N.W., noticed, 427; on
birds collected by Messrs. Harrison
and Hiller in, noticed, 627.
Sushkin, P., and Menzbier, M., on the
adult dress of the Labrador Falcon,
242.
Swenander, G., on the gullet and
stomach of birds, noticed, 430.
Tasmania, on the birds of, noticed, 124.
‘Thrushes, Seebohm and Sharpe’s
: ‘Monograph of the,’ noticed, 262.
Thunberg, C. P., on the type-specimens
of certain birds named by the late,
238.
Tongue, on the myology of the Parrots’,
noticed, 258.
Trevor-Battye, A., ‘Lord Lilford on
Birds,’ noticed, 256.
Trong, Lower Siam, on two new birds
from, notieed, 129.
Tucuman, on the birds of, noticed,
422.
Tukong-Besi Islands, Celebes, on the
birds of the, noticed, 419.
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
©Turdidee,’ Seebohm and Sharpe’s
‘Monograph of the,’ noticed, 262.
Turkestan (Russian), on birds collected
south of Lake Issik-kul in, 130.
‘Uganda Protectorate,’
noticed, 122.
United States, descriptions of three
Bo! birds from the Southern, noticed,
125.
Ussher, R. J., on the bird-fauna of
Ireland, noticed, 629.
Johnston’s,
‘Valhalla,’ the return of the, 637.
Variation, in birds, Finn on, noticed,
119, 253; m1 N. American Shrikes,
Strong on, noticed, 627.
Vultures, on the position of the Amer-
ican, 141.
Walton, H. A., notes on the birds of
Peking, 19.
Westell, W. P., on the young Cuckoo,
noticed, 263.
Whitaker, J. I. S.,on the proper names
of the two forms of Black-eared
Chats, 408; on the occurrence of
Porphyrio allent in Italy and Tunis
and of Sula bassana in Italy, 452.
Whitehead, C. H. T., an annotated list
of the birds observed on the Orange
River between Aliwal North and
Odendaalstroom, 222.
Wiglesworth, J., ‘St. Kilda and its
Birds,’ noticed, 629.
Winge, H., on the birds of the Danish
lighthouses, noticed, 132; on fossil
birds of Denmark, noticed, 650.
Witherby, H. F., letter on the wrong
identification of Pyrrhulauda melano-
cephala collected by him on the
White Nile, 433; an ornithological
journey in Fars, South-west Persia,
501.
Wolley, J,,
noticed, 126.
‘Ootheca Wolleyana,’
Ysabel Island, Solomon Group, on the
birds of, noticed, 262.
Zittel, K. A. v., ‘Text-book of Palzont-
ology,’ translation by C. H. Eastman,
noticed, 264.
Zoological Gardens of Europe, Peel on
the, noticed, 259.
END OF VOL. III.
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A
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY.
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EDITED BY 1 |
| PHILIP LULLEY SCLATER, DiSc.4 5. R54 | |
SECRETARY TO THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, |
| AND
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A. H. EVANS, M.A., F.Z.S. |
LONDON:
GURNEY AND JACKSON, 1, PATERNOSTER ROW.
(Successors ro JOHN VAN VOORST.)
Bi [RED LION COURT, FLEET oi
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CONTENTS OF NUMBER IX. (continued).
Page
04° Neumann on new Attica “Girds east ee Seater yeag ser ee eee 126
25. Newton’s ‘Ootheca Wolleyana’ ..... . eights.» seer
96: North on sA7-enu01iss ss). tans sd eee es ke oe ee 497
27. North on Malurus leucopterus . . . « « . Peart Peet
28: Oberholser onthe Elormed Warks fi.) ss ec eens eel 19
29. Pipott.on London Birds-2: heaves a. Pee ce E
30. Reichendw's © Birds of Atenas. syeres pol o> ke ae Sear are 129
31. Richmond on new Birds from Siam . ; oC teee =
32. Richmond on a new Goatsucker pete
33. Richmond on new Birds from the Saiaian Tatas a. tale 130
34. Rothschild on Birds from Russian Turkestan ves erat hye
35. Rothschiid and Hartert on the Fauna of the Galapagos eee on
BO Sal VAG OTL OM), Me Wold ke on sss cee se oteeeam teins iat ectetel arin 131
Sl Sebh Smithson arta KeGts. sresweaes it ee eee te itr eteken ema mar ae
38. Simon on Peruvian Trochilide 3 pies Peed 132
39. Winge on the Birds of the Danish Lighthouses, 1901 . eae hac
XIII. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c.
Letters from Mr. O. V. Aplin (two), Count Berlepsch, Mr. Walter
B. Arundel, Dr. Henry H. Giglioli, Mr. T. H. Nelson, Mr. A. LL. Butler,
and Count E. Arrigoni degli Oddi; News of Mr. Nicoll; New
Expedition to South America; Travels of Capt. Boyd Alexander ;
The Position of the American Vultures ; The Generic Term Lvoreus ;
Baron Snouckaert van Schauburg’s Collection of Birds; Inter-
national Protection of Small Birds; Sale of the late Dr. Stark’s
Eggs, Birds, and Books; Death of Mr. T. E. Buckley. . . . . 182
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED SINCE THE IssuE OF No. 8, EicuTH
i"
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SERIES, AND NOT NOTICED IN THE PRESENT Namen
. AttEN. So-called Species and Subspecies. (Reprinted from ‘ Science,’
N.S. xvi. pp. 888-386.)
. § Avicultural Magazine.’ (N.S. vol. i. nos. 1, 2.)
‘Bird-Lore.’ (Vol. iy. no. 5.)
. Brewster. Birds of the Cape Region of Lower California, (Bull. Mus.
Comp. Zool., Harv. Coll. xl.)
. Coapman. List of Birds collected in Alaska by the Andrew J. Stone
eon of 1901. (Bull. Amer. Mus, N. H. xvi.)
6. ‘The Condor.’ (Vol. iy. no. 6.)
. Finn. On Hybrids between the Guinea-fowl and Common Fowl.
GG. A SeB.Ixx,)
. Fryy. General Notes on Variation in Birds. (J. A. S. B. xxi.)
. Finscn. Ueber Diceum sollicitans Hartert. (Notes Leyden Mus. xxiii.)
. Fryscu. Ueber zwei bisher verkannte Arten: Centropus nigrorufus (Cuv.)
und C. grilli Hartl. (Notes Leyden Mus. xxiii.)
. Finscn. Ueber zwei neue-Vogelarten yon Java. (Notes Leyden Mus,
XxXiil.)
2. GRINNELL. Pacific Coast Avifauna. No. 3. Check-List of California
Birds. (Cooper Ornithol. Club, Santa Clara, 1902.)
. Hartrert. Eine logisch unabweisbare Aenderung in der ornithologischen
Nomenklatur. (Internat. Zoo]. Congr. v.)
4. Hensoaw. Birds of the Hawaiian Islands. (8yvo. Honolulu, 1902.)
. JourpDAIN. The Ornithology of Derbyshire. (Derbyshire Archeol. &
N. H. Soc. Journal, 1901.)
. Litto. Envumeracion sistematica de las Aves de la Provincia de Tucuman.
(An. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, viii.)
. Netson. A new Subspecies of the Cuba CliffSwallow. (Proc. Biol. Soc.
Washington, xv.)
. Nortu. Description of the Eggs of the Kagu, Rhinochetus jubatus
Verreaux et Des Murs. (Records Austr. Mus. ty.)
. OBERHOLSER. Some new South American Birds. (Proc. U.S. N. M. xxv.)
. OBERHOLSER. List of Birds collected by William T. Foster in Paraguay.
(Proc. U.S. N. M. xxv.)
. ‘Ornithologisches Jahrbuch.’ (Jahrg. xiii.)
[ Continued on page 3 of Wrapper.)
«; ete
CONTENTS OF NUMBER IX.—EIGHTH SERIES.
Page
I. The strange case of Athene chiaradie. By Henry Hittrer
Gietionr, H.M.B.O.U., &c. &e. CEIRtR) Gre nes
Il. Notes on the Birds of Peking. By Capt. H. A. Watton,
Indian Medical Service, . , ° ig Tern eae
III. On the Pterylography of Photodilus. By W. P. Pycrarr,
A.LS., F.Z.S. (Plate CE ati Gy aaechotipaatt > muons Wage eee
IV. A List of the Birds of Lucknow. By Wiuttas Jussp, M.A.,
F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. (Member of the Bombay Natural History
Society).—Part I... . oy 2). See aye ee ee
V. Remarks on the Flight of Albatrosses. By Captain F, W.
HRUOMPONS LLG, wey vs. Wes Coys per tec ef $1
VI. On some rare or unfigured Eges of Palearctic Birds. By
H. E. Drsssrr, F.Z.S, (Plate EEL) "oh auee oe 88
VII. Notes on the Synonymy of some Palearctic Birds. By H.
He Deusen PZS. 2 oS chap atte y tree Tae ht eee
VIII. Remarks on Pitta longipennis Reichenow and Pitta reichenowr
Madarasz. By R. Bowpier Suarer, LL.D, (Plate EV dee Ot
IX. On the Silver-Pheasants of Burma. By Evesnen W. Oarzs,
A 2 ak GORn Cres (ee eR ee SS
X. On the Genera Aenerpestes and Metopothrix. By Hans,
Graf von Berterscy . , Ekg se Let ek ee 106
XI. Additional Remarks on certain Species of American Galline,
By W. R. Oairvie-Grant Werteeie-tts ogee ROS
XII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :—
1. ‘Annals of Scottish Natural History ’ eee Tiger 113
2. Arrigoni degli Oddi on the Harlequin Duck in Italy . wee
Sim 20 TE ON RR A ee ea seep eS rete RCD see tee eae a 14
4. ‘The Avicultural Magazine’ , , | ; :
5. Benham on an Egg of the Moa. We Sete eee ae
6. Berlepsch on new South-American Birds Sein
7. Boutourlin on some Bids of Eastern Livonia oe
8. Brewster on N orth-American Birds . Se bigs. dB
#, Coburn’s Ornithological Expedition to North Iceland ae,
10, Coburn on Anser gambeli Sea eret Pear
ll. ‘The Emu’ TENS SST SO airy A ae 118
12. Erlanger on the Ornithology of Abyssinia, Galla-land, and
Somali-land eet baer a ae HM aT hi ary -
3. Finn on Abrupt Variation : ee
14. Fisher on vanishing Game-Birds . “i Nees
15, Gadow on Phalacrocorax harrisi oe 2 a ee
16, Hartert on his Travels and Researches, , , ie ee 120
17. Hartert on the Birds of the Kangean Islands , 0 oa Sa
18. Hett on Popular and Local Bird-names . os rade ees 122
19. Johnston on the Birds of Uganda . 0h ee eRe
20. Legge on the Birds of Tasmania 20. eae 124
21. Madarasz on a new Blue-throat oN ee ®t oe
22, Mearns on Three new North-American Birds . 5c ee 125
23. Neumain on the Results of his last African Expedition Bae
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<2, Parmer and Otps. Game Laws for 1902. (Farmers’ Bull. No. 160,
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23. Presir. A Biological Investigation of the Hudson Bay Region.
(N. American Fauna, No. 22.)
24, Ricumonp. Birds collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott and Mr. C. B. Kloss in
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus, xxy.)
25. Wixson. Interstate Commerce in Birds and Game. (Biol. Surv. Circular,
No. 38, U.S. Dept. Agric.)
26. WorKMAN. Ornithological Notes from the West Coast of Scotland.
(Zoologist, 1902.)
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CONTENTS OF NUMBER X, (continued).
3. Rothschild and Hartert on Birds from the Solomon Islands . . |
64. Seebohm and Sharpe’s ‘ Monografh of the Thrushes’ .
65.- Westell onthe Youno"Cuck0o7.-ci5->, 2s oe 0 ee ee 263
66. Zittel’s ‘Paleontology,’ VOL ee Soice rue oe oA ee ed EE 264
XXY. Letters, Extracts, Notices, he.
Letters from Mr. Richard M. Barrington, Capt. F. W. Hutton,
and Mr. Frank M. Chapman (two); The Australasian Ornithologists’
Union; Report of the Society for the Protection of Birds ; Ornitho-
lopists-at.work. abraads 3 Ale ae ee ae oe ee eae eee
XXVI. Obituary.
Mr. T. E. Buckley, Mr. A. A. Le Souéf, and Dr. C. Berg . . . 270
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED SINCE THE IssuE oF No. 9, Ercuru
SERIES, AND NOT NOTICED IN THE PRESENT’ NUMBER.
‘ Avicultural Magazine.’ (N.S. vol. i. no. 5.)
3, § Bird-Lore.’ (Vol. y. no. 1.)
. Braauw. Ueber dieZucht und Entwickelung der Tigereate (Somateria mol-
lissima) und der Wekarelle (Ocydromus austr alis). (V erh. V. Internat.
Zcol. Congr. Berlin, 1901, p. 507.)
. CopurN. On a lost British Wild Goose, Anser BN Pe (Strickland).
(Zoologist, 1902, p. 441.)
31. ‘The Condor.’ (Vol. iV. HO. 13)
2. Giza Zoological Gardens, near Cairo, Egypt. Plan and Guide in English,
French, and German. (12mo. 1902.)
. Harviz-Brown. On the Avifauna of the Outer Hebrides, 1888-1902.
(Ann. Scottish Nat. Hist. 1902-1903.)
. Finn. Notes on the Nesting of the Indian Dabchick (Podicipes capensis,
B. M. Cat.). (Zoologist, 1902, p. 300.)
. Finn. On Specimens of two Mauritian Birds in the Collection of the Asiatic
Society. (J. A. S. B. Ixxi. pt. i. p. 87.)
. Fisoer. A new Procedsterna from the Leeward Islands, Hawaiian Group.
(Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxvi. p. 659.)
. Hutrron. Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science.
Presidential Address. Ninth Session. (8vo. 1902.)
. Inertnc. Necessidade de uma lei federal de caga e proteccao das Aves.
(Revista do Mus. Paulista, v. p. 239.)
. Inerina. Contribuicgao para o conhecimento do Ornithologia de S. Paulo.
(Revista do Mus. Paulista, v. p. 261.)
. Innes Bry. Voyage au Nil Blanc pour des Recherches zoologiques,
(Bull. Soc. Khédiviale de Géograph. sér. vy. no. 12.)
. Lucas. Notes on the Osteology and Relationship of the Fossil Birds of
the Genera Hesperornis, Hargeria, Baptornis, and Diatryma. (Proce. U.S.
Nat. Mus. xxvi. p. 545.)
. ©Ornithologisches Jahrbuch.’ (Jahrg. xiv. Hefte 1, 2.)
3. Ricumonn. Birds collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott on the Coast and Islands
of North-west Sumatra. (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxvi. p. 485.)
. Rrcumonp. Note on Pinaroloxias tnornata (Gould). (Proce. Biol. Soc.
Washingtcn, xv. p. 247.)
. Satvaporr. Contribuzioni alla Ornitologia delle Isole del Golfo di
Guinea. I. Uccelli dell’ Isola del Principe. (Mem. R. Accad. Sci.
Torino, ser. ii. lil.)
. Serie. Migration of Birds. (Trans Scottish Nat. Hist. Soc. ii. p. 189.)
. SetH-SmirH. Parrakeets. (Parts III. & IV.) :
. SuuFELDT. On the Classification of certain Groups of Birds. (Amer.
Naturalist, xxxvil. p. 35.)
. Srrone. A Case of Abnormal Plumage. (Biol. Bull. Marine Biol. Lab.,
Woods Holl, Mass. ili. p. 289.)
Srrone. The Development of Color in the Definitive Feathering.
(Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard Coll. xl. p. 147.)
[ Continued on page 3 of Wrapper. |
51. Srronc. <A Quantitative Study of Variation in the smaller tl
American Shrikes. (Amer. Naturalist, xxxy. p. 271.)
52, SWENANDER. Studien iiber den Bau des Schlundes und des Magens der
Vogel. (Kgl. Norske Vidensk. Selsk. Skrifter, 1901, No. 6
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\ ‘YcENTS OF NUMBER X.—EIGHTH SERIES.
\
Page
XIV. On a new Stork from Borneo. a W. R. Oaitvie-Grant.
CPlate ya) 21. comer kee . 145
XY. A List of the Birds of Ladeaaa By Wana Fat M. ae
F.Z.S , M.B.0.U. (Member of the eae Natural History
Society). —Part IY. : . 148
XVI. On the Lbis olivacea of ee: by 1 Shogiaan EF. M. Z, 8. 178
XVII. On the Eggs of the Moa. By Dr. A. B. Mevrr . . . . 188
XVIII. Bird-Notes from Morocco and the Great Atlas. = E:- GB.
MouanE-Watpo;, Celate Vis) Scie. ine ae ete Breese,
XIX. Additional Field-Notes on the Birds of Fohkien. By C. B.
Rremnrn = 7 f? es sang 2am Sat ope tate ene «veep
XX. An Annotated List of the Birds observed on the Orange
River between Aliwal North and Odendaalstroom from
Dec. 21st, 1901, to June 21st, 1902. By C. H. 7.
Wairenead, Lieut. Ist Bat. Highland Light Infantry. . 222
XXI. Remarks on the Type-specimens of certain Birds named by
the late Carl Peter Thunberg. Zz Dr. Ernar LonyBeEre,
CAMEZES si %. 2s elem oeuucece 3 aS ee eee
XXII. On the Adult Dress of the Labrador Falcon. hy Prof. M.
Menzsier and Dr. P. Susuxin .. wot Se eA
XXIII. Notes on the Breeding of Ross’s angaitione in Captivity.
By F.E. Braauw . . oShG pair cee ene
XXIV. Notices of recent @rritvelocionl peniaemae =
40. Allen on Species and Subspecies ; pega Pret aeme ean) > = 25 7h
41. Andersen on the Birds of the Faeroe Islands Pagid ater a4 248
42. ‘The Avicultural Magazine ’ Ba me Pare: =
43, Burturlin on the Waders of the Russian Empire = Ge eos
44. Buxton’s African Trips. i te ee Pee
45, Clarke on the Migration of Bi: Hay Feo. gihtehs on: ieas emis oe yr
46. Dresser’s ‘Manual of Palearctic Birds’. . . . . .. . . 252
47. Finn on Hybrids of the Guinea-fowl .
48, Finn on Variation in Birds
49. Grinnell on Californian Birds
50. Hartert on Birds from Pahang .
51. Hartert on Birds from Ecuador :
52. Hartert on Birds from British East Wien ;
' 583. Job on Waterfowl . . eae
54, Jourdain on the Birds of Derbyshire 3
55. Lord Lilford on Birds . Ae a
56. Mudge on the Tongue of Parvo F
eo SS ———
bo
Ou
(oP)
57. Ovilvie- Grant on Shrikes. .> 958
58. Pease’s * Travel and Sport in Africa’ oA eas oy
59. Peel on Zoological Gardens . . ood neon Se ae Wie A eee nen
CO. Preble on the “Biology of Hudson Bay ne eae Sona 260
61. Reichenow’s Report on the Progress of Ornithology
62. Ridgway on the Birds of North ‘and Middle America
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97. Oberholser on new South-American Birds . ee
98. Prichard’s ‘ Heart of Patagonia’ . a -s
99: Richmond on Birds from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 426
100. Richmond on Birds from Sumatra. . . . . . 497
101. Richmond on Pinarolovias inornata - se 6 ae "Es
102. Rothschild and Dartert on Papuan Birds 428
103. Salvadori on the Birds of Franz-Joseph Land ee "
104. Salvadori on the Birds of Principe and San Thomé ae elegy ee)
105. Shufeldt on the Classification of certain Groups of Birds . . .
106, Swenander on the Gullet and Stomach of Birds . Pat age
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XXXVI. Letters, Proceedings of the British Ornithologists’ Union,
Extracts, Obituary, &e.
Letters from Mr. Joseph I. S. Whitaker, Count E. Arrigoni Degli
Oddi, and Mr. Harry F. Witherby. Proc eedings at the Anniv ersary
Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Union, 1903. Mr. Walter
Goodfellow’s Expedition to the “Par East.” News of Mr. M. J.
Nicholl. The Ostrich-farm at Nice. The Philadelphian Collection
of Birds. The Hart Museum, Christchurch. Obituary: Dr. Gustav
a9 710 (0 ee a ele tg A er Rae Meinl a cca Wetigen Mr Noe oR egy ce
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‘ Atlantic Slope Naturalist.’» (Vol. 1. no. 1.)
. ‘Avicultural Magazine.’ (N.S. vol. i. nos. 6-8.)
| Barrett-Hamiiton. On the Position occupied by the Legs of Birds
during Flight. (Zoologist, 1903.)
. ‘Bird-Lore.’ (Vol. v. nos. 2,3.)
7. ‘Boletim do Museu Paraense? (Vol. iii. nos, 3, 4.)
. ‘Cassinia.’ (No. vi. ae)
. ‘Condor,’ (Vol. v. nos. 2, 3.)
. ‘Emu.’ (Vol. ii. pt. 4.)
. Fatio. Trois examplaires d’une forme particuliere de ‘ Tetraotetrix femelle’
peut-étre femelles de ‘ Tetrao medius.’ (Ornis, tom. xi.)
29 Frcoerns. Some Food-Birds of the Eskimos of North-western Greenland,
(Proc. Linn. Soc. New York, nos. 13, 14.)
. Finscu. Ueber die Arten der Bucerotiden Gattung Ortholophus Grant.
(Notes Leyden Mus. xxiii.)
. Fryvscu. Zur Catalogisirung der ornithologischen Abtheilung. (Notes
Leyden Mus, xxiii. )
5, Fruyscu. Ueber einen neuen Nashorny ogel der Gattung Penelopides Reichb.
(Notes Leyden Mus, xxiii.)
. FroweErR. Zoological Gardens, Giza. Report for the Year 1902.
| Gries & Hatr. Nature Studies in Australia. (8vo. Melbourne, 1903.)
. Goripr. Against the Destruction of White Herons and Red Ibises on
the Lower Amazon. (8vo. 1902.)
. Hagmann. Kin ornithologischer Streifzug durch den Campo der Insel
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. Hartert u. Hetirmayr. Ueber die Pipriden-Gattung Masius Bp.
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. Hupson. ‘ Hampshire Days.’ (8vo. London, 1903.)
. KotruHorr. Bidrag till Kinnedom om Nota Polartrakternas Dagegdjur
och Faglar. (K. °Sy. Vet.-Akad. Handl. XXXVI.)
. KotrnorF. Zur Herbstwanderung der Nordischen Sumpfvégel iiber die
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. Von LENDENFELD. Eine nordhihmische Méwenbrutstiitte. (Monatschr.
‘Deutsche Arbeit,’ Jahrg. 2.)
_ Lorenz. Zur Ornis Neuseelands. (Ann. k.-k. Hofmus, Wien, xvii.)
3. Lorenz u. Hetimayr. Ein Beitrag zur Ornis Siidarabiens. (Denkschr,
Ak. Wiss. Wien, 1902.)
. Mapardsz. Die Vogel Ungarns. (4to. Budapest, 1899-1903.)
. Mapardsz. V orliutiges iiber einen neuen Rohrsanger (Lusciniola mimica).
(8vo. 1903.)
. Meyer. Neue Vogel von Celébes. (Notes Leyden Mus. xxiii.)
‘Ornis.’ (Tome xii. no. 1.)
[ Continued on page 3 of Wrapper. |
CONTENTS OF NUMBER XI.—EIGHTH SERIES
XXVII. On a Collection of Birds from the Northern Islands of the
Bahama Group. By J. Lewis Bonnorn, M.A., F.Z.8. . 2
XXVIII. Note on P. Picot’s ‘Tables Méthodiques des Mammiféres
XXIX. Note on the Genus Coananalt US.
et des Oiseaux ....de la Haute Garonne.’
C. Davies ee ae beat 4
Hoatroneo Paine tcre tame wane kates
. ° .
By Captain Pr. W.
B y
. 318
XXX. Remarks on the Flight and Distribution of tie AWB oases
XXXI. On Birds new to Palestine.
XXXII. On the Birds of Fernando Po.
of the North Pacific Ocean. By Capt. Grratp E. H.
Barrert-Haminton, F.Z.S. . .
Minas sUUS cA on: o9.c ae a:
F.Z.8., Rifle Brigade. (Plates V1*.-IX.).
* Seran Merrip, Andover,
. 324
By Boyp ALExAnper,
2000
XXXIII. On some rare and unfigured Eggs of Palearctic Birds.
By H. E. Dresser, F.Z.8. &c. (Plate X.)
XXXIV, On the proper Names of the Two Forms of Black-eared
Chats. By Josern I. 8. Wurtaxer, F.ZS.
XXXY. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :—
Of.
68.
OY.
70.
; Brewster on the Birds of Lower California .
. Bulletins of the Philippine Museum
. Chapman on Birds from Alaska
. Finn on Two Birds from Mauritius
. Finsch on Diceum sollicituns
—_
STS ST SSS) ST
es ee
‘ Annals of Scottish Natural History’
-TherAwk’ 9
Bangs on the ake Of Phe aa ie fein
Bangs on new Races of American Birds .
Finsch on Two new Javan Birds
. Finsch on Two Species of Centropus .
» Fisher on a new Dern +2 ~:
9, Fountain on the Mountains and F Ror s of South: Kratos
. Godman’s ‘ Biologia Centrali-Americana’
. ‘Handbook of Instruetion for Collectors ’
. Hartert on Brisson’s Generic Terms .
. Hartert on the Birds of the Obi Group, Moluteas : ’
. Hartert on the Birds of the Tukong-Besi Islands and Butea :
. Hartert on the Birds of Batchian . SST inane ae
. Hartert on a new Oligomyodian Form . :
. Henshaw on the Birds of the Hawaiian Islands ,
. Ihering on the Birds of Sao Paulo, Brazil .
. Innes on the Birds of the White Nile
. Kollibay on the Birds of Southern Dalmatia
. Lillo on the Birds of Tucuman .
. Lénnberg on a Fossil Condor f
. Lueas on some Nerth-American Hosail ir is
. Nelson on a new. Cliff-Swallow .
5. North on the Ege of the Kagu .
>. Oberholser on Birds from Paraguay
| Contents continued on paye 2 of Wrapper. |
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84, SaLvaporr. Caratteri di due nuove specie di Uccelli di Fernando Po.
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92. ‘Wombat.’ (Vol. v. No. 4.)
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94, ARRIGONI DEGLI Oppr. Materiali per una Bibliografia Ornitologica
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95. ARRIGONI DEGLI Oppr. Deux mots sur la Buse féroce (Buteo ferox) tuée
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96, ‘ Atlantic Slope Naturalist.’ (Vol. i. no. 3.)
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99. CasTLE and ALLEN. The Heredity of Albinism. (Uontr. Zool. Lab. Mus.
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100. ‘The Emu.’ (Vol. iii. pt. 1.)
101. Evans. Turner on Birds. 8vo. Cambridge, 1903.
102. Field Columbian Museum, Annual R eport of the Director. (Report
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107. Hritumayr. Ueber neue und wenig bekannte siid-amerikanische Vogel.
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108. Huser. Sobre os Materiaes do Ninho do Japti (Ostinops decumanus).
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109. Loupon. Ergebnisse einer ornithologischen Sammelreise nach Zentral-
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110. Macoun. Catalogue of Canadian Birds. Part II. (Geol. Surv. Canada,
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111, Oarrsand Rem. Catalogue of the Collection of Birds’ Eggs in the British
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112. RoruscuiLp. Novitates Zoologice. (Vol. x. no. 2, 1903.)
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115. SHarpr. A Hand-list of the Genera and Species of Birds. (Vol. iv.,
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116, Tscuust zu ScHMIDHOFFEN. Ornithologische Literatur Osterreich-
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CONTEN TS OF NUMBER XII.—EIGHTH SERIES.
a
XXXVII. On a Collection of Birds from North-western Argentina
and the Bolivian Chaco. By Dr. E1yar Lonnzere,
CMES Os ae ee ee
XXXVIII. Ornithological Results of an Expedition up the Capim
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H.M.B.0.U., C.M.ZS., Director oy Parad Museum . 472 —
XXXIX. An Ornithological Journey in Fars, Stuth-west Persia.
By Harry FP. Wirnersy . . er i)
XL. Field-notes on some of the Birds of Cv ere By Dorotay
MesAs Bare eet, 05 o te Pe «0 ee oe eee
XLI. On a presumed new Species of Redstart from the Island
of Sardinia. By Henry H. Gietior1, H.M.B.O.U. &e. 581
XLII. A Contribution to our Knowledge of the Birds occurring
in the Southern Shan States, Upper Burma. By
Lt.-Col. C. T. Binenam. (Plates XI. & XII). . . 584
XLII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :—
107. Arribalzaga on the Birds of Paraguay . 2 soa ess te ete
108. ‘The Avicultural Magazine’. . eae
109. Barrett-Hamilton on Birds’ Legs in ¥F light 2 oe) ose ar
110;; Botleromeeare-Birds-2. -'5-- 2) kas ee Re a ene een
ee Cassinia oc. ; Re ey a
112. Cockburn on a supposed British Goose 609
113, Degen on Ecdysis .
ives Dre esser’s ‘ Manual of Palearctic Birds” 610
115. ‘The mu’ E 611
116. Figzins on the Food- ede a the Hisiimies”
Lali Finsch on the Honey-guides . ee 613
118. Finsch on some new Hornbills
119. Fuerbringer on the Genealogy of Birds . . . ; A ; . 614
120. Goeldi on the Destruction ee “Birds in Amazonia... . 615
121. Goeldi and Hagmann’s List of Amazonian Birds
» 122, Hagmann on his Visit to Mexiana . . a oes ee 616
N28. Haztert and HeNmayr on the Genus Wass.
= 124, Harvie-Brown on the Birds of the Hebrides . 617:
Y 125. Hose on the Birds of Northern Celebes
! 126, Hudson on Hampshire Birds . . Fer E REE
J : 127. Kolthoff on the Migration of Mar sh-birds. ioe oe eee 619
128, Lorenz-Liburnau on Birds from New Zealand
129, Lorenz and Hellmayr on South-Arabian Birds. . 620
130. Madardsz on the Birds of Hungary. . .. . =
31. Madaradsz on anew Asiatic Warbler ... . 621 7¥
132, Meyer on new Birds from Celebes . j . ] |
133. North on the Nests and Eges of Australian Binds : 622-3
134. Salvadori on Birds from Annobom and Fernando Po . f
135. Sclater’s ‘ Birds of South Africa Ee oe. a ee betes ae
136; Seott’s “Story of a Bird-lover’ 0.
137. Seth- Smith’s tsParraleCeise an fs cie ice k ie iceec el eae 6 ee 625. |
138. Sherborn’s ‘Index Animalium’. . . - ab + 5s ee
[ Contents continued on page 2 of Wr rapper <. uy i }
we
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